Horchata and Jamaica-2 Refreshing Guatemalan Drinks
During your visit to Guatemala, regardless of whether you eat in formal restaurants, enjoy meals in the comedores (canteens) in the market, or enjoy street food, you will surely come across horchata and jamaica, these 2 traditional refreshments.
HORCHATA (ORGEAT)
We are not going to get into controversies about the origins of horchata, although it is said that the recipe came from Spain, nor about which country prepares it best, this rice-based drink is consumed in Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala, is always one of everyone’s favorites.
It has a texture that can vary depending on the ingredients (which in turn vary depending on the country where you try it) but you can expect a mixture of nuts (almonds and peanuts) and seeds (pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds), cinnamon and sugar. If they put milk in it, you can expect a creamy texture; If they only prepare it with water, although it is lighter, it is still just as delicious.
RECIPE for 6 glasses
You will need the following ingredients:
½ pound of rice, 2 ounces of pumpkin seeds, 2 ounces of sesame seeds, ½ liter of milk, 1 cinnamon stick, water to taste (depending on the consistency you want), sugar to taste, and cinnamon powder to sprinkle on top.
You are going to soak clean rice in water along with the cinnamon stick (save it in the refrigerator) for one night. The next day, you are going to blend the rice, strain the resulting mixture, and let it rest. Then, toast the pumpkin and sesame seeds a little and then put them in the blender, add a little water, blend them, and then mix them with the rice mixture, sugar, and more water and/or milk to taste.
JAMAICA
One of the various beverages that you can easily find as part of the city’s gastronomic offer is called Rosa de Jamaica (roughly translated as Jamaican Rose).
This beverage is made with the flower of a plant named Hibiscus sabdariffa. It has been used for a long time to prepare various dishes and drinks. It comes from the Malvaceae family, originally from tropical Africa, and in Central America, it is grown in regions with favorable climates such as Guatemala. Here, some of the departments where it is widely produced are Baja Verapaz, Huehuetenango, Jutiapa, Escuintla and El Progreso.
Thanks to its medicinal properties or its flavor as an infusion, it has become one of the favorites amongst Guatemalans who use it as a condiment, ingredient in jellies, salads, and desserts.
RECIPE for five glasses
Wash the flowers with water, and boil them in about six glasses of water and two small cinnamon sticks for ten minutes. Wait for the mix to cool and strain it to remove the flowers. In a separate container, you can sweeten a glass of water with the amount of sugar you prefer, and then mix it with your Jamaican water for the perfect refreshment!
There you go!
Written by Sofia Letona
Photos by Sofia Letona
