Fiambre

Since my time here in Guatemala, I have tried some euphemistically "interesting" foods - spaghetti tacos, pacaya, mineral water with Worcestershire sauce and lime- but none compare to the oddity that is fiambre. Fiambre is a traditional Guatemalan dish that is prepared to celebrate Día de los Santos (November 1). It typically contains over 50 ingredients, mostly a mix of different processed meats and pickled vegetables, and is served cold. Apparently this strange jumble of food originated from the tradition of taking dead family members their favorite dishes to lay on their graves. And after years of mixing and adding new ingredients, fiambre was born. Over the years, families began mixing all of these different foods together, probably to ease the burden of their trip to the cemetery. Because of this every family's recipe differs slightly, but all fiambre typically contains every type of sausage you can imagine (including a curious blue one), cold cuts, pickled baby corn and onion, beets, hard boiled eggs, and a variety of cheeses. The version that I was invited to prepare and eat with my work partner's family included the following:
-chopped parsley
-white wine vinegar
-capers
-pimientos
-pickled onions
-pickled asparagus 
-pickled Brussel sprouts 
-garlic
-shredded chicken 
-chorizo sausage
-linguiça sausage
-green beans
-salami
-ham
-peas
-carrots
-celery
-cauliflower
-beets
-cabbage
-mini gherkins
-Spanish olives
-radishes, quartered
-hard boiled eggs
-pacaya
-sardines and anchovies
-parmesan cheese
-sliced American cheese 

Plus I'm sure that I'm forgetting some others. All in all, I absolutely despise fiambre, especially day-old fiambre that has been sitting in its own juices. But I do admit that fiambre is yet another incredible example of the complex history and traditions of daily Guatemala. So if you ever get the chance, I say take a bite! 

z