Fiambre is a traditional Guatemalan dish eaten on All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day to commemorate loved ones who have passed away. It is a cold salad made with a variety of ingredients, including sausage, deli meats, chicken, and shrimp. The recipe is passed down from generation to generation and can include up to a hundred different ingredients. The dish is served in four main types, including one without meat and one made only of fruit and vegetables. It is typically prepared by the whole family and served cold with pickled vegetables and a vinegar-mustard dressing.
Fiambre is a traditional Guatemalan dish used to commemorate loved ones who have passed away. The tradition began in the late 1500s and is typically prepared immediately before November 1 and November 2, All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day. The ingredients of this dish vary according to the family, although it is usually served as a cold salad.
A common part of the Guatemalan tradition, which dates back hundreds of years, is bringing the favorite foods of family members who have died to the cemetery during All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day. Over time, the separate dishes merged into one, with all of the different family members’ favorite foods combined to make one big cold salad. The recipe for fiambre is passed down from generation to generation, occasionally modified to pay homage to recently passed family members. As the dish continues to grow, it often incorporates close to a hundred different ingredients.
On October 31, Guatemalan families gather to prepare the dish for the next two days. Generally, each member reaches out to help cook or chop different ingredients; it would be nearly impossible for one person to prepare the whole dish by himself. Fiambre is then consumed for the next two days during the holidays. In many cases, it is shared with family friends or others celebrating in the same area.
While the meal is different for every family, there are four main types. Fiambre rojo is a dish that includes beets, while blanco is served without beets. The green Fiambre is composed only of fruit, vegetables, beans and lentils; no meat is used in this dish. A desarmado is a deconstructed version of this Guatemalan dish; all the different foods are served separately, much like in the past.
As this meal is eaten for two days, it is very difficult to serve any spicy variant. Fiambre is almost always served cold, usually as a salad on several large plates. While ingredients can vary drastically by family, it’s very common to include different types of sausage, deli meats, deli meats, chicken, and shrimp.
Pickled vegetables, such as bamais, olives and cucumbers, are a common addition to salad. Any number of vegetables may be included, and all ingredients are usually cut into bite-sized pieces; this is one of the many reasons it takes all family members to prepare the dish. Fiambre can be seasoned as a whole, usually with different spices or a vinegar-mustard dressing. Each ingredient can also be dressed separately, thus providing greater depth to the dish.
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