The Central American country of Belize enjoys a cuisine that crosses many cultures due to the different ethnicities that can be found here. Sharing a border with Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras has also brought many different flavors to the food of the country and with the many native varieties of fruits and vegetables, there is no lack of fresh food.

Rice and red kidney beans are two main staples of the traditional cuisine. The manner in which they are cooked takes many forms. Then can be coked together for the traditional "beans and rice" dish or added to other foods, such as different meats and poultry. Often they are served with the dishes as a side dish.

Stewed chicken is one of the dishes for which Belizean cuisine is best known. Every visitor to the country should try this dish and taste the great flavor. Before the chicken is cooked it is rubbed with recado, an anato paste, and then sprinkled with seasonings, such as salt, pepper and garlic and then browned. Once the chicken has been browned to perfection it is then cooked in water with onions, sweet peppers and vinegar. The traditional method of serving stewed chicken is to serve it with white rice, potato salad and fried plantains.

The Garifuna people of Brazil also have their own native dishes. One of these is a rich and tasty fish soup known as serre la sus. The fish is simmered in a mixture of coconut milk, onions and spices and served with fresh plantains with cassava bread.

You will also find traces of Mexican cuisine in the food of Belize, such as enchiladas and due to the wide expanse of seacoast, fresh fish forms an important part of the country's cuisine. Lobster is available in just about all seafood restaurants as is shrimp, crab and squid. At the beginning of the lobster fishing season each year there are lobsterfests in just about all of the seaside towns and villages.

Although you can have your fill of fresh fruits and vegetables at any time of the year in Belize, May and June are the best months for mangoes. Pineapple and watermelon are readily available as well as local varieties of spinach and squash. Visitors to Belize delight in the fact that they can actually enjoy fresh coconut milk fresh from coconuts just cut from the trees.

Every village has its own personal favorite but in order to fully enjoy the tastes of the traditional food and cuisine of Belize, you will have to spend a lot of time crisscrossing the country.

by Frances Stanford for Helium.com