Cooking in Belize...A Change for the Better

One of the first adjustments I needed to make when we moved to Corozal, Belize two and a half years ago was figuring out what to cook and where to do our food shopping.

Back in the States, I would scour through the literally hundreds of recipes I collected to figure out what meals I wanted to make in the week ahead. Then I would make up a menu that listed a meal for each day, including side dishes and sauces (if applicable). No two weeks were ever alike and few dishes were repeated. With those details figured out, I would make up a grocery list, by aisle no less, with everything I needed to get. 

And if that doesn’t describe some serious anal-retentive behavior, let me also go on the record to say I don’t ever recall opening up our fridge and pantry, eying various bits and bobs, and exclaiming, “Wow, I know exactly what to make for dinner!” I followed recipes to the letter, at least for the first time or two I made a dish. An improvisational cook, I was not.  

When we went to the grocery store, in no time flat we would fill up our shopping cart. No dawdling in the aisles, no deep perusal of various products. I was a woman on a mission. There were occasional times when we would need to make a second stop to score some ingredient I was looking for, but usually one trip was all that was needed.

Here, well, here I had to change my entire approach. 

In days of yore, things like porcini mushrooms, a variety of fresh herbs, spices, heavy cream, various cheeses, vinegars, oils, Arborio rice, couscous, to name just a handful of stuff, would routinely find a home in our shopping cart and into our pantry. 

But unlike the States, there are no grocery store chains here in Corozal. Most ofl the stores are individually owned and operated, mostly by Chinese families. No two stores carry the same products. Some carry frozen meats and poultry, others don’t.  Things like rice, flour, dried beans, and sugar are measured out in various weights and are displayed in plastic bags. Some of the stores put a code for the brands of flours, others don’t.  

While most stores do carry boxed milk (unrefrigerated), finding gallon or even quart jugs in the refrigerator section can be hit or miss, and you always need to check the expiration dates. Some block cheeses are available, along with small packages of mozzarella. You can also purchase packages of individually wrapped cheese slices. But you’re not going to find anything like Brie, Gouda, Gorgonzola. 

Most of the grocery stores do carry a small selection of potatoes and onions. But for other veggies or fruit, you need to go to the open air market. Most stalls carry tomatoes, carrots, onions, potatoes, cabbage, limes, bananas, and other common items used in local dishes. Much depends on what’s in season and what the vendors can get. So some weeks you might see zucchini or avocados, but the next week you won’t. 

Fresh fish and meats are also available at the market, both cut to order. The other option for purchasing fish, meat, and poultry is to visit one of the local butcher shops or, in the case of chicken and turkey, the Caribbean Chicken store. 

We go to Frank’s Meat Products on a regular basis, and you kind of have to wrap your mind around what to order before you go in. While they have some items pre-packaged, most meats are cut to your specifications. While there is a hand written list of all the meats and poultry they have, there is no price per pound. For instance, on one visit to Frank’s I wanted beef shanks. I hadn’t a clue as to how many pounds it would be, but I did know I wanted them about an inch to an inch and a half thick. So, the thickness was what they went by to put the order together. Once any meat is cut, they show it to you for inspection. If you like it, it’s wrapped up and you’re good to go.

The cows here are grass fed, so are very lean and tend to be on the tough side unless you use a cooking method like braising to help soften them up. And the chickens, oh my goodness, these babies are really, really, I mean really lean. I have yet to purchase a whole chicken or chicken parts that had any fat of any kind that needed to be trimmed off.

So what this all comes down to is that while I still make up a menu every week, I have to kind of fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to getting ingredients. If I see something like green beans at the market, I have no idea when they might make another appearance. So I’ll buy them and work them into a meal somehow. It also means taking time to really peruse what’s available at the market and in the grocery stores. And it means making multiple stops to get what I need. 

But you know what? It’s fun, and I discovered I can improvise really good meals on the fly. And if I can’t find certain ingredients, I see if it’s possible to make them from scratch. And when we do discover some unexpected food treasures, it becomes a treat to savor rather than taking it for granted.

Change…it’s good for the soul.