Pepián is a thick meat stew from Guatemala. It is one of the oldest and most recognizable dishes of

Guatemalan cuisine Most traditional foods in Guatemalan cuisine are based on Maya cuisine, with Spanish influence, and prominently feature corn, chilies and beans as key ingredients. Guatemala is famously home to the Hass avocado. There are also foods that are c ...

having as its origin the influences from Guatemala's colonial past and the

indigenous cuisine Indigenous cuisine is a type of cuisine that is based on the preparation of cooking recipes with products obtained from native species of a specific area. Indigenous cuisine is prepared using indigenous ingredients of vegetable or animal origin i ...

. The meat-based stew, thickened with gourd seeds, can be made with beef or chicken (beef is more common in urban centers) it includes in traditional recipes

tomatillo The tomatillo (''Physalis philadelphica'' and ''Physalis ixocarpa''), also known as the Mexican husk tomato, is a plant of the nightshade family bearing small, spherical, and green or green-purple fruit of the same name. Tomatillos originated ...

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

and hot chili. Guatemalan restaurants in the United States usually consider the dish to be of

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...

origin. It is a popular street food in Guatemalan cities. In Guatemala it is considered a

national dish A national dish is a culinary dish that is strongly associated with a particular country. A dish can be considered a national dish for a variety of reasons: * It is a staple food, made from a selection of locally available foodstuffs that can be ...

. '' Pipián'' is a similar dish from

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and M ...

References

{{reflist Guatemalan cuisine Stews Ancient dishes Street food

See also

References