Are there any strange, out of the norm or unusual items on menus that are worth trying or checking out?

Thanks!

C-

Gibnut, Pig Tail, CowFoot Soup... just to name a few...

Escabeche and chimole.

Thanks for the responses. It appears in my research that Gibnut may be a pricey cuisine. Any idea where they may serve this?

Thanks,

C-

Colby, Just a note on gibnut. Hunters must be licensed to hunt it and anyone who sells it must also have a license. Gibnut is a very important prey animal to our big predators in Belize. Their numbers have been declining rapidly due to poaching and the illegal sale of the meat by unlicensed traders. This results in predators, such as the Jaguar and other wild cats, taking domestic livestock from farmers and ultimately causes serious human/wildlife conflict that often doesn't end so well for the wildlife. If you are going to eat Belizean game, I urge you to do so responsibly.

i have seen it on the menu in Belize City and a few other places.

Several shops in PG serve it and it is usually 5 or 8 bze per plate.

Wow didn't realize this with the Gibnurts. Perhaps I should shy away from this one. How about iguanas or snakes, boas etc.. I know in Mexico they eat iguana regularly.

Thanks,
C-

Pardon me for :D, this is getting good.

Bamboo Chicken....

I think the iguanna is a protected species - as is turtle for sure.

Out at Maruba there is one game dish on the menu daily and I believe they are responsible/legal in their methods of obtaining the food.

Ranch Raised Gibnut has been here for a while.
Sailaway Cafe has it on the menu.

Ah ok! I was wondering about this. Gibnut at Sail Away it is! I will let everyone know how it goes. Any other suggestions? Snake otherwise?

Thanks!
C-

Save the Manatee for Me!

...and the ray scallops

I've heard conflicting info on these. Do they exist, are they edible!?

I love to try new and odd foods. Will give most anything a shot...once!

C-

Ray scallops! Haha, in Mexico, a lot of times that you order scallops, they are actually the meat from the ray wings cut out with a round cookie cutter, hence Ray scallops. They easily fool those who know no better. still palletable though.

Lol! Ray scallops, imo, it's more an urban myth than highly practiced reality (and I'm sure I'm going to get hit on that one) but hey so it's open bear season for a day and proabbly elsewhere for that matter.

But...,if you suspect it, it quite easy to know by simply looking at the tissue fiber orientation. A true scallop has muscle fiber runs from top to bottom of the cylinder and is quite fine and tender, a ray's wing muscle runs laterally (sideways) and has a rather pronounced connective tissue layer dividing the upper and lower muscle plates, kind of like a tendon. The tissue is also quite different in appearances and flavor. I'll tell you though, skate wing ala beurre meuniere is very tasty! Now I suppose you could cut very thick transverse (front to back) filets across the wings and punch them along the length of the filet but honestly that would be a very high grade ray scallop and you'd still see a thin line of membrane dividing the scallop in two! lmao!

Okay I have to find my den and hide for a bit...


PS I'm sure a google is going to bring up "proof" on either side of the topic...

Bear, you are a fountain of info. Have a great weekend.

Sorry Kreh, what was that? I'm hiding behind a rock at the moment...a very big rock in fact so as to hide the smoke from my preparation of Raie Meunière, I got hungry after talking about all that food...

I will have to agree with Bear on this. I am pretty sure this is just an old beach fable/wives tale. It may have occurred somewhere, sometime, however, I seriously doubt it has been used with any regularity to cut costs. I don't think that a skate has anywhere near the taste or texture of a scallop regardless of how it is cooked, cut or prepared. I've certainly heard about it tons of times, never once confirmed it.

C-

Lol, Wow Geez Colby I hope it wasn't that painful

I just got done watching Anthony Bordain and I thought of this post. There are many unfamiliar foods. If you could tell me what some of them are, that would be helpful. Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought him back. Thanks, Dawg

Termites?

SP Daily, you're a funny guy.

Ahhhh, well then here is my Belize Cuisine joke.
Tourist and Belizean having breakfast in the same restaurant.
Tourist looks over at Belizeans plate and asks, 'What is that your eating?'
Belizean replys,'In Belize we have an influence of British customs mixed with local foods, this is Johnny Cakes with Beef Tongue.'
The Tourist replied,' How disgusting to eat something that came from an animals mouth!'
The Belizean then asked,'What is that your having?'
To which the Tourist replied,'Eggs!'