Latin American Cuisine
Latin American cuisine includes corn based dishes, salsa and loud spices. Latin American cooks use a variety of cuts of meat and interesting vegetables. Extremely sweet beverages balance out the hot and loud spices often used in Latin America cuisine.
Several cultures positively influence Latin American cuisine, such as Native American, African, Asian and European. Caribbean cuisine fuses all of these cultures to create amazing plates of food. Chefs often make seafood the highlight of their dishes. Cuba and the Dominican Republic offer dishes piled with fresh tropical fruits and other local delicacies.
Haitian
Haitian cuisine uses vegetables and meats with herbs mixed in for flavor. Rice and other side dishes are basically non-existent. Puerto Rican cuisine heavily influences many American cultures these days, though that influence went the other way during the 19th century.
North American
North American based Latin American countries rely more heavily on beans in their dishes. Black beans and rice with a meat side and tortillas are eaten often in Belize and Costa Rica. Salvador offers a wonderful tortilla based dish called Pupusas. Tortillas are filled with cheese, beans, and fried pork rinds then fried until browned and melted.
Guatemala
Guatemala’s cuisine varies heavily depending on which 22 divisions you are in. In addition, traditional dictates that certain foods are eaten on certain days of the week. Saturday is the official day to make and eat tamales.
Venezuela
Venezuela cuisine varies much like Guatemala due to region, yet generally mimics the cuisine of Uruguay. Uruguay cuisine offers pasta dishes, various kinds of sausage and many different dessert choices.