Guatemala City Eats

My first two weeks of summer travels I explored the natural beauty and flavors of Guatemala. Land of the mystical Mayas. Verdant hills full of legends woven as colorfully as the Guatemalan fabrics worn by the local women. The fragrant romance of cacao, coffee and corn grown on virtual cliffsides.

Senora Pus open kitchen

Within a day of landing in Guatemala City, I found a chef who blew me away! Meet Señora Rosa Pu Tzunux. Not only a chef but a true anthropologist, she spent years gathering the culinary techniques of the region. With simple ingredients of tomato, chilies, corn, cacao y mas, she crafts elegant dishes with seared proteins. Diners sit at the bar and watch her and her staff assemble each dish. She chatted with me and wrote the Mayan names down for my dishes and more. A true ambassador of Mayan culture.

I first had beef smothered in a very spicy and very savory tomato based sauce called asado maya. In the Mayan language of Quiche it is known as Rax jok'. Jok' jok 'jok' jok ', is the echo produced by the soft knocks of stone to grind when the women crush the ingredients by hand. Asado Maya or Rax jok' is a ceremonial dish, served to the relatives of the couple and the traditional authorities who participate in the ritual processes prior to a marriage.

The addictive spicy sauce, perfectly seared meat and neutral steamed vegetables were in perfect harmony. I could eat this every day.

Asado maya, served with güicoyitos, steamed summer squashes

My second course was even better though!! In Spanish it is called cerdo en cacao (pork), and in Quiche Jok'om kakaw. The sauce was sweet and rich with stewed dried plums and earthy cacao. Served with a sweet corn puree, fresh and creamy. Divine.