92
FEBRUARY 2013
•
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
BOOKMARKS
A neglected cuisine has its day
For all its variety, Belizean food
often gets short shrift, overshad-
owed by that of its neighbor to
the north, Mexico. But last year
saw the publication of the first
proper Belizean cookbook,
Flavors
of Belize
,
compiled by Belize City
designer and publisher Tanya
McNab and packed with a mix
of traditional and contemporary
Belizean recipes, as well as
insight into the history and devel-
opment of the native cuisine.
The inspiration came from
McNab’s childhood. Her
grandfather, who owned the first
supermarket in Belize City, ran
an annual Christmas contest that
asked customers to send in their
favorite recipes—which they
did, in vast numbers. Aiming
to recapture that collaborative
spirit, McNab spent a year
gathering as many recipes as
she could from locals, chefs
and even her own grandmother.
That last one, though, proved a
challenge. “The hardest part,”
McNab says, “was pinning her
down and getting her to tell us
what goes in there.”
SIMONE ROE PHOTOGRAPHY (COOKBOOK)
THREE PERFECT DAYS
||
BELIZE
so it wasn’t used for sacrifices—but it
was
used, as evidenced by the Mayan po ery
fragments sca ered around.
The crown jewel of the Cayo region
is
Caracol
,
a sprawling ruin that once
was one of the most powerful cities in
the Mayan world. At its peak there were
maybe 150,000 people living here, roughly
half the present population of Belize, and
the whole city was clad in plaster. It was
mysteriously abandoned 1,200 years ago
and rediscovered by a logger
in 1937.
As you explore, a hummingbird mis-
takes your orange backpack for a giant
flower; a howler monkey erupts in a
nearby copse, scaring you out of your
wits. Skirting a coal-black fire ant hill
with great care, you encounter what’s le
of amiddle-classMayan residence. Under
it is a tomb in which archeologists made
an extraordinary discovery: skeletons
with fla ened foreheads and jade inlaid
in their teeth. In other Mayan cities, such
status symbols were reserved for the
SENSORYOVERLOAD
The heated pool
at Blancaneaux Lodge; opposite, clockwise
from top left, Maya Center artisans; a room
at Blancaneaux Lodge; the (other) Blue
Hole; reef chicken at Wendy’s
