What better way to learn about a country and become more culturally aware than trying their food? Welcome to Belize, where there is a merging of cultures and consequently, a melting pot of flavourful, traditional dishes for you to enjoy. Throughout the year, Belize hosts several different food festivals that take place all over the country. So if you’re a foodie or you just love to try new things, then this is definitely for you.
Cashew Festival – Crooked Tree Village
A small village that has rich soil and the bounty of blooming cashew trees, this festival has been held for the past 28 years and is still a favorite for Belizeans (as we love cashew)! This festival is normally held in the middle of May, and involves an assortment of mouth-watering cashew inspired dishes – stewed cashew, cashew pie, cashew jams, cashew wine, and our favorite: cashew ‘seed’ as we call it locally…the nut!
Cacao (Chocolate) Festival – Toledo District
If you’re a chocolate or dessert lover, then this one is for you! Come indulge in rich, organic, handmade chocolate creations from our locals on May 22 & 23 in the town of Punta Gorda; this festival includes various chocolate desserts, chocolate infused foods, and much more.
Mangu (Mango) Festival – Hopkins Village
Held in the southern, beach village of Hopkins – this is the perfect destination where the mangos are fully ripe and abundant. Farmers grow an assortment of mangos (blue mango, black mango etc.) for this festival so you can sample them all to your heart’s content. This festival is normally held in June.
Lobster Festival – Caye Caulker, Ambergris Caye, Placencia
Lobster Fest is one of the biggest and most sought-after festivals in Belize! You can attend three different destinations (San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia), on three different weekends between June and July so there’s no excuse for you to miss it. This festival includes lobster only dishes – lobster ceviche, grilled lobster, lobster soup, to name a few.
Yellow Ginger Festival – Punta Gorda
This festival showcases the East Indian culture in Belize by using their favorite ingredient – yellow ginger. You’ll be able to try various dishes like yellow ginger chicken, yellow ginger pork, dahl roti, cohune cabbage and much more. A great opportunity to learn about the East Indian culture and foods, it is normally held in August.
Photo by Yellow Ginger Festival
Taco Festival – Orange Walk
Do you love tacos as much as we do? We love tacos so much that there’s an entire festival dedicated to it. Orange Walk Town is known to have the best tacos in the country! Here you will find a variety of tacos whether it’s rolled tacos, “street-styled tacos”, pibil tacos and much more.
Written by Reyann Garcia
