Exploring Garifuna Cuisine in Hopkins Village

In tonight’s installment of Kolcha Tuesday, we take you down to Hopkins Village.  It is one of Belize’s prime tourist destinations. The village is predominantly occupied by the Garifuna people and it is one of the few places in Belize where cultural cuisine and tourism marry as a match made in culinary heaven.  News’s Five’s Paul Lopez explored a few of the key ingredients that can be found in a Garifuna kitchen, the importance of local Garifuna restaurants to tourism in Hopkins Village, and why tourists keep coming back for the food and cultural experiences.  Here is that report.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Hopkins Village is a prime tourist destination in southern Belize.

 

Brian Smith, Tourist

“Thursday’s my fiftieth so we just decided; we kinda threw a dart out there. That’d what the girls did and now here we are.”

 

 

 

 

At the heart of this locale are Garifuna restaurants that are situated along two main streets in the village. These restaurants provide guests with a wide selection of Garifuna cuisine and cultural music. Some restaurants only have their traditional options on certain days of the week, while other establishments like Ella’s Cool Spot serves guests hudut daily. Brian Smith and his family travelled to Hopkins from the U.S.to celebrate his fiftieth birthday. Today, they tried hudut for the first time, at Ella’s Cool Spot.

 

 

 

Brian Smith

“Culturally, it is fantastic. Some guys were chopping down a coconut tree and they offered me a coconut. I was like I am about to have some drinks and food over here and do some taste testing and try all the different foods along the day and it’s just been great.”

 

 

Paul Lopez

“Do you remember the name of the food you tried moments ago?”

 

 

 

 

Brian Smith

“The name of the food we tried moments ago was the fried fish, and the hudit, hudat, hudat, is that right? Hudat? We like fried catfish back home. This is just a soft, flaky bite fish, incredible, just tasty. And then, plantains. I have a friend of mine from Colombia that grew plantains. So we ate it all the time and then there is the dish of coconut milk, it is amazing so.”

 

 

 

From Ella’s Cool Spot we moved over to J and J’s Cool Spot, a family owned restaurant located on the north side of the island. Natasha Guy, the manager, is involved in the day to day operation of the business. She serves her guests and ensures that the food is to their liking. They provide a menu of daily food options, including cultural meals that are prepared upon request.

 

 

 

Natasha Guy, Manager, J and J’s Cool Spot

“We do cultural meals on request and we also do other dishes like hudut, the bundiga, the tapou. If it is not on the menu you can always advice us that you want to indulge in that and we will have it right away.”

 

 

One of the benefits of life along the Caribbean Sea coast is the ability to serve freshly caught fish every day. Seafood has been part of the Garifuna diet for generations. Today, fifty pounds of fresh snappers are being prepared for the kitchen to serve. Guy explains that this is one of three main ingredients in a traditional hudut dish.

 

Natasha Guy

“To be honest with you I would say that goes deeply with the falamou which is the coconut milk and then that goes with the organically grown plantain and banana, the freshly catch fish from the Caribbean Sea, these folks back in the days, that was their staple or main dishes, so that is a good way to incorporate it. That is a part of what makes the Garifuna dishes ital. It is very healthy as well. There is no rice and starch, other than the cassava and so forth, but keep in mind that it may look a little on your plate, but when it hits your stomach, that is it, you fall asleep.”

 

 

Just across from J and J’s Cool Spot is another family-owned, Garifuna restaurant, Queen Bean Restaurant. Today, they are closed for service to customers. Owner Felisha Augustine and her siblings have been in the kitchen toiling since early morning preparing food to celebrate the life of a relative who recently passed away. On days they are opened, Queen Bean serves a variety of traditional dishes and provides local entertainment. Augustine took some time out to tell us about the importance of the Garifuna cuisine to the local tourism industry.

 

 

 

 

Felisha Augustine, Owner, Queen Bean

“It is very important and at the same time I am happy for everybody who have their businesses, because this is what we need for the tourist to get to the culture, let them learn to get to know the people and get everything and one thing they will never forget is Hopkins and villagers.”

 

 

Paul Lopez

“I find that you guys take pride in being kind, in offer a smile with your service and being kind. Is that an important part of the service you offer?”

 

 

Felisha Augustine

“It is, and then one things, we dah Garifuna people. Our culture, we are nice people and we welcome anybody no matter what. Fuh we ancestors they are good to us and that is why we always embrace everything about for we food and we language and we culture.”

 

 

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.