''Kak'ik'' is a

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

made from a type of

turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

called "chompipe" and is typical of

Guatemalan cuisine Most traditional foods in Guatemalan cuisine are based on Mayan cuisine, Maya cuisine, with Spanish cuisine, Spanish influence, and prominently feature Maize, corn, Chili pepper, chilies and beans as key ingredients. Guatemala is famously home ...

. It is a food of pre-Hispanic origin. The name is of Mayan origin: it derives from the Q'eqchi' words ''kak'' (red) and ''ik'' (hot or very spicy). In 2007, it was declared part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation. Although there are regional variations, the traditional recipe of the Las Verapaces region includes chompipe,

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid species of Mentha, mint, a cross between Mentha aquatica, watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in m ...

coriander Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual plant, annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the ...

and '' Eryngium foetidum'' (''zamat'') leaves. The red color is due to the ground annatto. Its red color can be associated with the blood that was used in pre-Columbian ritual sacrifices. It is generally accompanied with

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, white tamales wrapped in '' Calathea lutea'' (''mashán'') leaves, chili and a cocoa drink.

References

{{reflist Guatemalan cuisine