Recado's glossary

For wet ingredients, place them directly over the hot coals, rotating them with tongs over the fire until the skin blisters and browns, but doesn't burn. Alternatively, you can place them in a moderately hot skillet or on a moderately hot clay, aluminum, or iron griddle and turn them, shaking the pan by the handle until the skin peels away and turns golden brown.

This is considered a wild variety of pepper that belongs to the Capsicum annuum var. aviculare plant. It is a popular ingredient for its mild spiciness, which complements flavors without overpowering them.

The chocolate pepper is one of the varieties of the Capsicum annuum var. acuminatum. It highlights deep flavors, brightens the rich colors of the recados, and has a mild level of spiciness.

Small, thin, cylindrical, and pointed, with some wrinkles. It is shaped like a fang. Its color changes from light green to deep orange when it ripens. It grows in the regions of Zacapa, Izabal, Alta Verapaz, and Petén.

This pepper variety is an essential ingredient in Guatemalan cuisine, with a distinct deep red color. It is harvested during the rainy season and left out to dry in the sun before being distributed to markets.

Its shape is highly varied: round, pumpkin-shaped, or top-shaped. When ripe, it can be yellow, orange, or red. In some regions of Guatemala, it is called chile loco.

This pepper is used very similarly to the cobanero pepper, and it has a mild level of spiciness.

A mix of vegetables and peppers, either raw or roasted, ground and dressed with lime juice. It can be served as a complement to meats.

Fiber from the cibaque plant, Cyperus canus J.S, is used to tie tamales and other dishes to keep them in place, avoiding the mixture from spilling during cooking. It’s also used to craft mats, baskets and other frequently used items.

A griddle, usually round, made of clay or iron, which, when placed over a fire, distributes heat evenly across its surface. It is used for cooking tortillas and other foods.

In some regions it is known as cilantro (Coriandrum sativum). In Guatemala, it is used to season jocón, cocido, chirmoles, and many other dishes, with fresh cilantro leaves. Although many recipes indicate adding the herb at the beginning of preparation, it is preferable to do so at the end, or just before serving, to preserve the aroma and flavor that heat can destroy.

A semicircular bowl or basin where soups, stews or recados are served. In Guatemala they are usually made with clay, but they can also be made out if wood, majolica ceramics, plant bark or other materials.

A recado prepared with tomato, annatto, bell pepper, sesame seeds, capers, cloves, bay leaf, oregano, pumpkin seeds, rosemary, thyme, vinegar or sour orange; usually meat and potatoes are added.

Squash variety widely consumed in Guatemala. When they are tender, it´s known as güicoyito and can be boiled or sauteed. When ripped, it’s called güicoy sazón and can be served with recados, stews or even desserts.

A sauce made with tomatoes, onions, and guaque pepper, shredded beef cuts, such as eye of round or skirt stake, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and green beans. It is thickened with soaked tortillas or francés bread. Annatto is added for color.

Leaves of Piper auritum used to wrap foods during the cooking process. The use of this technique can be traced back to pre-Hispanic times.

With "wet" ingredients the grinding would turn them into a coarse puree using a grinding stone, mortar and pestle, blender, or food processor. With "dry" ingredients it refers to grinding them to a granular consistency, like sifted sand, not pulverizing them.

Tool for crushing and grinding spices and sauces, it consists of two pieces: a bowl-shaped container and a pestle or cylindrical piece.

Also known as pepitoria. It is toasted pumpkin seed finely ground that provides a toasted flavor to dishes. It is used as a condiment since pre-Hispanic times.

They are smooth, wide, and elongated, and have a greenish color before being sun-dried. Because of their hardness, it is recommended to buy the seeds already roasted and ground. They are used to thicken iwaxte and other sauces.

They are large, round, yellowish seeds. They are eaten roasted or ground and added to the recados.

A flat surface on which another piece, the pestle, is moved manually with rhythmic movements. An instrument on which nixtamalized corn dough is traditionally ground. Carved from basalt stone; a rough stone excellent for grinding food.

In Guatemalan cuisine, pepper is used in two forms: whole peppercorns, called "Castilla pepper," and ground black pepper. Ground black pepper has a pungent aroma and spicy flavor and should always be added at the end of cooking. Whole peppercorns work best in dishes that require more time to cook.

It's any other cut of pork that doesn't have a bone, including the shoulder. This meat is used stewed or boiled in any pork dish.

A masonry work surface where all kinds of tasks are carried out, including food preparation and cooking using charcoal and wood. A chimney is located at the top.

It is a plant native to the Americas that was used by the indigenous peoples of the Americas to season their food before the arrival of the Spanish. In Guatemala, it is mainly used as a seasoning in the cuisine of Alta Verapaz and the Pacific coast.

Recado made with turkey, tomato, tomatillo, dried pepper, mint and samat, thickened using corn dough.

The name comes for the náhuatl word tomatl, a fruit of a plant native to America. It can be consumed fresh or prepared in sauces, salads, stews, chirmol, and other recipes.

This is the type most commonly used in Guatemalan cuisine to prepare recados and long cooking stews. Its shape may vary: it can be long, pear shaped or round.