{"id":4926,"date":"2025-08-30T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toucandiscovery.com\/saveurs-guatemala-pepian-cafe-zacapa\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T18:52:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:52:46","slug":"flavors-guatemala-pepian-coffee-zacapa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toucandiscovery.com\/en\/saveurs-guatemala-pepian-cafe-zacapa\/","title":{"rendered":"Flavors of Guatemala: Pepi\u00e1n, Antigua Coffee, and Zacapa Rum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guatemalan cuisine is probably the most underrated in Central America. Squeezed between its Mexican neighbor and Caribbean flavors, it has its own identity \u2014 gentler, more complex, deeply rooted in pre-Columbian Maya cooking. Here are the flavors that struck me most over 15 years.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pepi\u00e1n, the national dish<\/h2>\n

If you had to remember just one Guatemalan dish, it would be pepi\u00e1n<\/strong> \u2014 one of the oldest dishes still served daily, listed as intangible heritage by UNESCO. A thick stew of chicken or beef simmered slowly with a paste of seeds (sesame, pumpkin), roasted tomatoes, chilies, spices and chocolate. Thinned with water and served with white rice.<\/p>\n

I first tasted it in 2018 in Antigua, in a family comedor that has been open for 40 years (Do\u00f1a Luisa Xicotencatl<\/strong>, calle 4 oriente). I’ve been back three times since. It’s the kind of dish you won’t find in hotels \u2014 you have to go to the comedores and accept that the cleanliness isn’t up to French restaurant standards. That’s precisely what gives it its soul.<\/p>\n

Where to taste<\/strong> : Do\u00f1a Luisa Xicotencatl<\/strong> in Antigua (historic comedor), La Fonda de la Calle Real<\/strong> (4 locations in town), Hectort’s Bistro<\/strong> for a more refined version.<\/p>\n

Fiambre, the dish of the dead<\/h2>\n

November 1st, All Saints’ Day, is one of the highlights of the year in Guatemala. The whole country prepares fiambre<\/strong> \u2014 a complex salad combining more than 50 ingredients: ham, smoked turkey, sardines, olives, beetroot, cauliflower, asparagus, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, all marinated in a silky vinaigrette. Every family has its own recipe, passed down through generations.<\/p>\n

It is probably the most culturally moving dish in the country. It is shared with family at the cemetery, in front of graves decorated with yellow flowers (cempas\u00fachil), while giant kites (barriletes gigantes) float above the dead to guide them. Sumpango<\/strong> and Santiago Sacatep\u00e9quez<\/strong> are the two villages where you can see the barriletes gigantes \u2014 a spectacular event on November 1st.<\/p>\n

Antigua coffee, one of the world’s best<\/h2>\n

Guatemala produces one of the best arabica coffees in the world, and Antigua<\/strong> is the most renowned region. Volcanic soils, shade-grown under a canopy of native trees, at 1,500 meters \u2014 conditions are perfect.<\/p>\n

Five specialty fincas to know:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Filadelfia Coffee Resort<\/strong> (tour + steam train)<\/li>\n
  2. Bella Vista Coffee<\/strong> (certified Q-Grader on site)<\/li>\n
  3. De La Gente<\/strong> (community cooperative in San Miguel Escobar)<\/li>\n
  4. Finca El Injerto<\/strong> (Huehuetenango, the country’s most high-end)<\/li>\n
  5. Las Nubes<\/strong> (Atitl\u00e1n, rare high-altitude coffee)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    An ideal day<\/strong> : departure from Antigua at sunrise, finca tour, spoon tasting (cupping) with a Q-Grader, and you head home with 2-3 bags of specialty coffee (15-30 USD per 250 g).<\/p>\n

    Ron Zacapa, national pride<\/h2>\n

    Distilled since 1976 in Zacapa (in the east of the country), Zacapa Centenario<\/strong> is probably the most awarded rum in Central America. Aged at 2,300 meters (solera system), with notes of chocolate, vanilla, cacao and dried fruit.<\/p>\n

    To try depending on your profile<\/strong> :<\/p>\n