Although chiles rellenos originated in Puebla Mexico, in Guatemala chiles rellenos is very much one of Guatemala’s national dishes. There is much discussion in English as how to spell chiles rellenos. Often you could find it spelled chili relleno, or chilli relleno with or without the ‘s’ after relleno. This often causes confusion but at least in Spanish it’s always chilies rellenos and it tastes delicious!
Chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) are part of a family of meals that are very simple, not so hard to prepare, and can be eaten at almost any time with different accompaniments. Think of a dish that includes chiles rellenos, guacamole, rice, tomato sauce, even beans and tortillas, yum huh?
The ingredients might vary, specially if you want to switch from the usual pork, to beef or chicken. Come to think of it, you might want to leave out the meat bit completely if that is what you want and the essence of the dish will remain.
Chop up some veggies like carrots, green beans, sweet peppers, onion and garlic and mix it with the meat (or not) and then make medium sized balls that are covered with grilled peppers and are to be wrapped with a mixture of egg and flour and then fried.
Some people eat them in one bite, over a corn tortilla. Try it! Oh, and make sure you ask for the kind of chile pimiento you want, either with sweet peppers or chili peppers.
If you are visiting Guatemala, chiles rellenos like pepián are two dishes that should be tried. Here in Antigua Guatemala, try the chiles rellenos at La Fonda de Calle Real. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous try them in the evening bought from a street food stall! Either way, you wont be disappointed.
Don’t forget to take a look at some of our other Guatemala dishes whilst visiting our website.
