Honduras News - Daily News about Honduras

Grand Formosa Regent Taipei is now hosting a Central American food festival where diners can enjoy some of the finest cuisine from the region.
For this occasion, the hotel has invited six guest chefs from six Central American nations — Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama — to prepare fine dishes for guests throughout the duration of the Central American Gourmet Fiesta from now to Sept. 22.

The six chefs are Jose Antonio Vasquez from El Salvador, Manuel Enrique Rosales from Honduras, Alfonso Jaen from Panama, Euda Lisseth Morales Ruiz from Guatemala, Juan Nogueras Bussalleu from Nicaragua and Oscar Castro O’Sullivan from Costa Rica.

Juan Nogueras from Nicaragua said Central American foods are different from country to country despite the proximity of the nations.

“There are countries that are high above the mountain, and there are countries that are near the sea. As a result of differences, people cook their foods differently and use different ingredients,” Nogueras said.

Nicaraguan cuisine, for example, consists of lots of seafood due to its bordering of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. That, combined with the fact the country has two big lakes and 26 big rivers, has prompted culinary experts to prepare dishes that “none other Central American countries have,” Nogueras said.

Manuel Enrique Rosales from Honduras said foods from his country reflect the cooking styles of the Indians, Westerners and even the Africans as they were brought to the country as slaves centuries ago. The addition of coconut milk in several Honduran dishes is indicative of how African influences have played out in Honduran cooking, he said.

The dishes prepared by the six guest chefs will be presented at azie on the first floor of Grand Formosa Regent on a rotating basis. The following are some of the dishes diners can expect at the food festival: manzanillo cocktail, tilapia wrap with ayote, tamale pot, pescado a la tipitapa, rice with shrimps, and corn flan with coffee sauce.