6 Little-Known Foods from Honduras That Will Make Your Mouth Happy

You heard it here first: Honduras is the next Costa Rica. Or Croatia. Or place you haven’t heard of but you’ll be booking tickets for in a few years. The central American country is home to 8 million people and a stunning amount of biodiversity, from pristine Caribbean beaches to a mountainous region in the west. The cuisine is lush in seafood and heavily influenced by the Garifuna, a fusion of West African and Caribbean Indians. The food is hearty, rich, rustic, and delicious. Take a look at the classic Honduran dishes you’ll want to try when you make your way there.

Atol Chuco

Should you find yourself in Copan one of these days, start your morning by ordering an atol chuco. Though the days may feel tropical, the mornings in parts of Honduras are chilly, and locals prefer warm, hearty breakfasts, like this atol. Atol is a soup made of corn flour – fermented corn ground down to flour form then mixed with water and boiled until thick and topped with red beans, lime juice, and squash seeds. It’s usually served in a bowl with a spoon but you’re meant to slurp this up. It’s fortifying and will prep you for the day ahead.

Machuca

Traditional Honduran food is intertwined with Garifuna foods – the Garifuna have been on Honduras since at least the 1700s, with communities along the Caribbean coast and on some islands. With such direct access to the ocean, the Garifuna relied heavily on seafood as a source of protein and they often made it into a stew, like this machuca dish. Machuca, which means paste, is a coconut seafood stew made with locally caught fish (lobster, conch, and snapper), cassava, and a plantain paste or dough over which the soup is usually ladled. It’s a specialty and a must try. [pagebreak]

Tapado

Many refer to tapado as the national dish of Honduras … and it’s got as many variations as there are people in the country. Tapado is usually a coconut milk-based stew sometimes studded with plantains, cassava, or pumpkin and made with either locally caught seafood or (less often) with meat. Whichever way you find it, settle in and enjoy. It’s homey, rustic, and delicious.  

Pan de Coco

In Honduras, you’ll often find subtly sweet pan de coco. It’s a yeast-based dough that is made with unsweetened coconut milk and grated coconut. Baked until golden, the bread is chewy and tender with a slight crust. Enjoy it with cafe (if you can restrict yourself to once-a-day servings).

Sopa de Caracol

Honduran cuisine is full of soups and stews centered around seafood, reflective of the country’s direct access to fresh seafood. If you’re taking a break from sightseeing, try the sopa de caracol or conch soup. It’s (again) a coconut milk-based broth thickened by yucca and green plantains, spiced with fresh herbal cilantro and loaded with salty conch.

Baleada

Most Latin American countries have a corn based snack and in Honduras it’s the baleada. Baleadas are thick corn tortillas slathered with refried beans and crema and sometimes topped with chicken, avocado, eggs, or beef. You’ll most often find it in street food stalls and you’ll definitely want to try one after an evening spent enjoying nightlife.