Belize is a very small country that sits just south of Mexico and East of Guatemala. It is considered part of Central America; however, Belize is the only country in the area that has English as its official language.
Belize gained its independence from England in 1981 and has continued to develop while embracing the rich flora and fauna in the area. The Belize jungle has immense vegetation and many ecosystems due to its tropical location. The caves and Mayan ruins are magnificent memoirs of the Mayan civilization that once inhabited the area and the barrier reef remains one of the most sought after wonders of the world for diving and snorkeling.
Belizean food can also be considered as an adventure! It has become a major experience that many of our visitors deem a “must” when visiting our small country. Although we are located around many Latin American countries in Central America, Belizean delicacies have sort of a British influence. Aside from the British influenced cuisines, we have dishes from at least five different ethnic groups. The foods that stem from those groups are known as cultural dishes. These are recipes and cooking secrets that were brought from other nations and passed down as family recipes from one generation to the next.
At Caves Branch, you will find a variety of these categories of foods: fruits, salads, soups, meat and chicken, cooked veggies and deserts everyday (family – buffet style). Even for the desserts – whipped cream is made fresh right before the evening meals. These foods are delicious and each has a unique taste. Some of these foods are prepared very often in Belizean homes and tend to be prized among many of the citizens in Belize. You will have a chance to taste a diverse Belizean cuisine and taste the freshness of the local tropical fruits, organic salads, and variety of meat and chicken dishes cooked with local spices and using Belizean recipes. Belizean made hot sauces are always available in different flavors and different levels of spiciness – these are an important part of the food in Belize. Remember to save space as the different courses come out so that you can taste everything from fresh fruits, Belizean foods, special soups, vegetables, rice, and meat to your choices of desserts.
“The food was always different and there was a wide variety… Everything from the salsa to the dessert to the breakfast cookies were finger-lickin’ good! … I packed so many snacks, granola bars, candy bars, trail mixes, etc and didn’t eat a single thing. The food at Caves is abundant and delicious” – TripAdvisor Review
“They serve community buffet-style meals that are to die for! … The food was AWESOME, and as others have remarked it is healthy too…not to mention fresh made deserts every evening.” – TripAdvisor Review
Below you can find some recipes of foods prepared at CB; the list will grow as more recipes are provided by our Belizean chef:
Spanish Smokey Rice – This stems from the mestizo culture – A tasty mixture of rice, vegetables and other local spices. This goes well with any salad & your choice of meat.
Fried Jacks – This food item is of Belizean cuisine! Almost all households will make this for breakfast at some point. This goes well with eggs, sausages, beans and much more.
