International Cuisine

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • Journey by Country
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • My Cookbook
  • Exploring the world through food
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • Journey by Country
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • My Cookbook
  • Exploring the world through food
  • Connect with us

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
      • Privacy Policy
    • Journey by Country
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • My Cookbook
    • Exploring the world through food
  • Connect with us

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Featured

    Our Journey to Honduras

    October 15, 2015 By Darlene at International Cuisine

    5045 shares
    • Facebook1
    • Twitter

    About food and culture of Honduras

    Christopher Columbus, on his fourth voyage to the New World, named this country “Honduras”, which is Spanish for “Depths”, referring to the deep waters off the northern coast. Honduras gained independence from Spain, along with her neighbors, in 1821. Located in the middle of Central America, her neighbors are Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. She also has a small border on the Pacific Ocean and a long border on the Caribbean Sea. This area, also known as the “mosquito coast”, is a long series of white, sandy beaches and freshwater lagoons. The Mosquitia (as it is called there) has one of the greatest tropical rain forests remaining in the world, along with pine woods (their national tree) and grasslands.

    The Bay Islands lie off the northern coast, with the largest island being Roatan. These Islands were fought over by the English and the Spanish and a large number of English settled there. It is not uncommon to see blond hair, blue-eyed, locals on the islands. It was also an area home to the Garifuna people, Afro-Caribbean, “Bay Islanders,” who were brought from West Africa to work on the plantations and now reside mainly along the north coast.

    It was the Mayans who inhabited the area before Columbus arrived and established large communities there. They later moved on to Mexico for reasons not completely understood. One prominent theory suggests a prolonged drought caused famine and unrest and eventually led to the dispersal of the Mayans. Copán is considered to be an important Mayan archaeological site and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Honduras.

    Honduras, bordered by the Caribbean Sea, is subjected to occasional hurricanes. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, a category five hurricane, devastated Honduras, killing over 5000 people and causing more than two billion dollars in damages.

    The main ethnicity of the Hondurans is mestizo, a mix of Indian and European, along with other native Indians and the Garifuna. Spanish is the official language, although English is often spoken, as well as indigenous languages. The main religion is Roman Catholic.

    Bananas, the main crop in Honduras, drew in large companies from North America. These corporations remain the largest land holders in the country. Unfortunately, they never took care of the people and infrastructure, as promised, in return for the land. This set up a kind of aristocracy for the wealthy few, while the majority of people in Honduras remain poor, with 65% living in poverty. Today the primary exports are bananas, coffee, pineapple, palm oil, timber, clothing and seafood. The United States is their main trading partner.

    Honduras, with its beautiful islands, azure blue seas and rain forests could be a real draw for tourism. Diving and snorkeling are said to be among the best in the world, as the islands are surrounded by the world’s second largest, barrier reef. However, the crime rate is excessively high and Honduras is, unfortunately, referred to as the murder capital of the world. Drug smuggling and kidnappings are also big problems. Although they have made some strides to improve their reputation in the last few years, the country remains on nearly every country’s travel warning list. Tourism suffers tremendously due to this threat. It is not uncommon to see police and military soldiers with assault rifles walking the streets. They are there as protection but leave a very uneasy feeling for the average tourist. The current president, Hernandez, is working with the International Monetary Fund to ease their poor fiscal situation. He announced “The Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle”, a plan to work with Guatemala and El Salvador to reduce violence, stimulate economic growth, improve infrastructure and promote education over the next several years. All three countries suffer from the same ills and all should benefit from this alliance.

    As we look into the cuisine of this nation, we see a fusion of indigenous Indian cuisine with Spanish, Caribbean and African influences. The Garifuna have a distinct, cuisine style with lots of fish stews and soups, many of which use coconut milk. The cuisine varies by region, with seafood being a prominent ingredient on the Bay Islands. Beef is a more popular choice on the mainland. The dishes are not spicy-hot, however they do use quite a few aromatic seasonings such as: cumin, anchiote, allspice and paprika, along with fresh herbs, like coriander and oregano. Rice and beans along with corn tortillas are by far the main, staple foods. Beans there are either black or red and used extensively. Sometimes corn tortillas and beans may be all that is consumed in a day.

    An extremely popular breakfast food is called balaedas; a flour tortilla stuffed with beans, cheese, eggs and sometimes meat. Chimol or “pico de gallo” is found on nearly every Honduran table and is a condiment put on just about everything but especially on tamales, enchiladas and carne asada. It is also used like a salsa, to enjoy on a tortilla chips. Like their neighbor Guatemala, they make their tamales wrapped in banana leaves, as opposed to corn husks. Mondongo soup, made of tripe and other beef parts, is considered a legendary hangover cure.

    So let’s eat Honduran style:

    The Menu
    Main
    Plato Tipico (Typical Plate)

    Honduran plato tipico
    Consisting of
    Carne Asada (Marinated Beef)

    Honduran Carne Asada
    Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)

     

    Honduran frijoles refritos Chicharones (Pork Crackling)

    Honduran ChicharonesPlatanos Fritos (Fried Banana)

    Honduran Platanos fritos
    Served with Chimol (a Fresh Salsa Topping)

    Honduran chimol
    Served with
    Horchata (a Rice Drink)

    Honduran Horchata

    We set the table in a tropics motif. Our tropical fruit included bananas, plantains, pineapple and coconuts. A colorful parrot, representing their national bird, (which is actually a scarlet macaw) along with orchids, (their national flower), palm fronds and banana leaves added to our theme. Blue and white were the colors of choice, to represent the flag of Honduras. We put on some Punta music, created by the Garifuna people. It is a unique type of music, with the lyrics sung in Spanish, by only women. Punta music is thick with percussion, created by a drum beat made from hallowed out, native woods. The marimba is their most distinctive, percussion instrument. It is made of wooden bars attached to resonators, to amplify the sound, as they are struck with mallets.

    We began our meal with “Salud”, that is “Cheers” in Spanish, as we toasted with our non-alcoholic beverage, called horchata. It is a drink made from rice and spices and was perfectly refreshing. Beer or rum would be a common, adult beverage choice in Honduras.

    “Buen Provencho”, (enjoy your meal) invites guests to begin eating. The meal was served family style; all dishes provided at the same time. Considered to be the national dish, plato tipico (or typical plate) is found on almost every menu in the country. This is an extremely large plate of food that is both filling and delicious. The meat, called carneada, is beef that has been marinated in sour orange and spices and then barbecued. It is served with refried red beans. Fried plantains, made from ripe bananas, were a sweet and delicious accompaniment. The chicharones, or pork crackling (well what can I say), is pork belly, braised for a few hours and then fried in its own rendered pork fat. Chimol, a tomato, onion and pepper mixture was wonderful on the meat. This was also served with rice, a simple side salad of lettuce, tomato and onion along with some sour cream and of course, homemade, corn tortillas. This meal would also often be served with chorizo, a spicy sausage but I thought the chicharones were enough pork for the day.

    There was no dessert with this meal; absolutely no room left for it. So instead we decided to crank up the Punta, get out the maracas and dance the night away.

    As we say goodbye, I leave you with a few Honduran proverbs:
    For great ills, great remedies.
    Hunger has no law, it’s just hungry.
    The truth is bitter and lies are sweet.
    Every time one laughs a nail is removed from one’s coffin.

    Until next time,
    Hasta luego, (see you later)
    Darlene

    More Featured

    • Symbols of Turkmenistan including wheat, a rose, cotton and a tea pot.
      Our Journey to Turkmenistan
    • Symbols of Turkey, the flag, cotton, tulips, whirling dervish, evil eye, and Turkish coffee cups.
      Our Journey to Türkiye
    • Symbols of Tunisa, the flag, citrus, dates, jasmine, camels
      Our Journey to Tunisia
    • Items representing Trinidad and Tobago, their flag, ships, shells, a little drummer.
      Our Journey to Trinidad and Tobago
    5045 shares
    • Facebook1
    • Twitter

    Filed Under: Featured

    Welcome to Internationalcuisine.com! thank you for stopping by!

    I'm thrilled to share my passion for food, travel, and cultural exploration with you. My name is Darlene Longacre and I am a culinary enthusiast turned global nomad.

    Imagine a journey where your taste buds can travel the world, experiencing new flavors and aromas of every country on earth.

    More about me →


    My Mission

    At Internationalcuisine.com, my mission is to bring the world to your kitchen and inspire a global culinary adventure. I believe that food is a powerful bridge that connects people, cultures, and traditions. My mission is to celebrate this unity and diversity by sharing authentic recipes, engaging stories, and immersive travel experiences.

    Come join the journey, explore new countries and embark on a fantastic culinary adventure.

    Join the Journey It's Free!

    Sign up for my culinary, travel and cultural adventure delivered right to your inbox so you won't miss a thing.

    Categories

    Genesis Theme Framework for WordPress

    Archives

    • November 2024
    • April 2024
    • August 2023
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • October 2022
    • May 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • September 2021
    • May 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • March 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    Genesis Theme Framework for WordPress

    Meta

    • Log in
    • Entries feed
    • Comments feed
    • WordPress.org

    Featured Posts

    A colorful bowl of Turkmenistan Fried Eggplant Salad

    Turkmenistan Fried Eggplant Salad Recipe

    Slices of Ichlekli- a thin meat pie.

    Ichlekli Recipe - The National Dish of Turkmenistan

    a plateful of Chak-chak fried dough pieces smothered in a honey syrup

    Chak-Chak Honey Cake Recipe

    Get to know Darlene at International Cuisine

    Darlene holding a dish made with Mama Naz and her daughter in law, in Arusha, Tanzania

    Welcome to International Cuisine

    Hello my name is Darlene and thank you for stopping by!

    I am cooking a meal from every country in the world. I do extensive research and choose a menu that I feel best represents the country and their cuisine. Of course that also includes the authentic, delicious recipes. Simply click on the link or the photo in the journey by country posts to get them. I also share important information about the country as well.

    I love to cook, photograph, and especially travel. I hope you enjoy this culinary and cultural adventure around the world. Be sure to join the journey so you don't miss a thing. It's free!

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2024 International Cuisine All rights Reserved

    • 1
    5045 shares