Belizean food reflects the country's cultural mix and its location between the Caribbean and Central America. It's not flashy, but it's good — fresh seafood, hearty rice and beans, and tropical fruit everywhere.
Rice and beans (cooked together with coconut milk) is the national staple, served alongside stewed chicken or fish. Don't confuse it with beans and rice, which are served separately. Both are ubiquitous and cheap.
Fry jacks are deep-fried dough pockets eaten at breakfast, stuffed with eggs, beans, or cheese. You'll find them at every market and roadside stall. Try them with honey.
Seafood is excellent on the cayes and coast: lobster (in season July through February), conch fritters, grilled snapper, and ceviche. The Lobster Festival in July in San Pedro and Placencia is worth timing your trip around if seafood is a priority.
Garifuna food is distinctive and worth seeking out in Hopkins or Dangriga. Hudut — fish in coconut milk broth served with mashed plantain — is the signature dish. Cassava bread and sere (fish soup) are also worth trying.
Tamales in Belize are different from the Mexican version — wrapped in banana leaves and filled with chicken or pork with recado (annatto paste). Common at markets and during festivals.
Cacao is grown in the Toledo district in the south, and Belize has a small but serious chocolate industry. The town of Punta Gorda hosts an International Chocolate Festival each May. Several farms offer tours.
Drinks: Belikin is the national beer, a decent lager available everywhere. Fresh fruit juices (watermelon, tamarind, sorrel) are sold by street vendors. Rum and coconut water is the local beach drink.
Eating cheaply is easy — look for market stalls and small restaurants ("cafs") serving rice and beans with protein for a few BZ dollars. Tourist areas have restaurants at all price levels.