Belizean Afro-Caribbean Food in Placencia, Belize!

And today we're back in Southern Belize in Plasencia with the famous Dr. Laura, and we're going to be exploring Garifuna culture, trying out some incredible Belizean dishes. I'm so excited, let's do this. And today we're going to be exploring Garifuna culture, so doctor, tell me what are we doing here? So we're in Sainbai village, this is the Garifuna community on Plasencia peninsula, and we're going to be going to the Olahu drum school, and we're going to be making an iconic Garifuna dish that's called Pudut. So that's our plan for right now. Perfect. Pudut. Let's go right here. Hello, hello. Hello. How are you guys doing? All right, guys. Good man, good man. This is Kim, this is Bobby. This is David, this is Nathan. I love your hair, by the way. Oh, thanks. Her hair is awesome. Nathan is the producer, David, you know. They were the ones, when I messaged them, they're like, we watch them on YouTube. Yes, man. Every time, man. So what is this? This is what we do for cassava bread, or grating the coconut to make the oil. It's been raining for over 125 years. This is 125 years old? Yes. 125 years old, or more. Or more, yeah. So each rock is made itself? Yes. Yes, you got to break it to the size and then tap it in. To make a sharp point that will create. And Bobby, what do they call this in the Garishana language? Egi. This is Egi. This is the great time. It's a great planting. The only tree away after all. We start with the planting because the planting, it usually depends on the texture of the planting. You can know if it's hard or it's soft. So with this one, it usually takes about 20 minutes because the planting is actually soft. So this will take about 25 to 20 minutes to boil. Just take the skin to the top, the bottom off, and put it into the water to wash. So how many of these are going to do? And with that egg, we're going to feed five of us. We're also having fresh snook. So the fish we're going to have is fresh snook. We have the coconut peeled already. So this, we're going to crack the coconut with the hammer after peeling the plantain. So we're going to wash it, then we're going to boil it. Hot water is on. So in the water, we add at least half a teaspoon of salt. Just waiting for the plantain. And when the plantain goes in there, 20 minutes or so, it should be soft. And ready to get cooled down because you've got to cool down the plantain first. So the water is boiling. So we're just waiting for her to finish the egg plantings. And we're going to throw that in. 20 minutes later, it'll be ready. And then we're going to mash it. Yes, ma'am. Wash it up. Just washing it. Washing it. No skin from the plantain on it. These green spots, because it's from the skin. So we just take it off. Here, we add it into the hot water. So then from here, that's when the 20, 25 minutes the conch dung starts. So for us to make sure that it's cooked through and through, we use the fork to poke it. So when it's soft, that means it's done. Then we take it out of the hot water. Then we put it into a container with a cover. And we leave it open for it to cool off. That will be about 15 minutes. And after that, we start our hunger. Normally, that spike is for you to just strike it down and it will slam straight through. That's the husk, right? Yes. So this is what we cook with. That's funny. I've never seen that. It has a little face on it. Yeah, right? It looks like the Moana coconuts. East coast of Africa, and then crossed over to West Africa, and then came over to the Caribbean. It's sideways. And it's tearing it off. So I'm husking it. This is like a life jacket for this thing. Andale. Ahí estamos. Listo. So here it is. You did it. Slip it on the side. And then I got to break it again, right? Yeah, the same thing. Same area. Yeah, same procedure. Then you twist again the same thing. Yeah. And you know. Thank you. You do it one more in the middle. One more in the middle, huh? It's tough husking. That's how it goes when you work for your meal. Of course. I don't want to work for the meal. Oh, man. It's tough. Okay. Like that. Rip it. Pull this guy out. So this is dead, right? So the coconut's dead. And the husk is what it uses to transport across oceans. That's a life jacket. Here we go. Right there. Coconut. Good. And that is how you husk a coconut. Voila! That's so quick. Shame, David. Shame. So this, we're going to pound the green and the red plantain together. So this is just a sweetener for the green plantain. And you can tell that this plantain has been on the concrete for a while. So that's why the black spots still come. Because the green plantain, if you notice, it already has a yellow color to it. So that means it's already almost close to finish. If we cook it together with the coconut milk, we won't find our okra. So we cook it separate. So that's why we just steam it along with the plantain. And then you add it to the bowl at the end? Yes. We add it into the dish at the end. We call it okroz in Tunisian. What do they call it in Tunisian? Nehu. No. No, nehu. It's always that, like, what's it called? Sticky. Gooey. Yeah. Slime. It's slime. This is slime. But you know it's funny. So we put it in. Yeah. Milk. How are you to get off like that, huh? Because I already cracked it. So it's just a shell. I've never seen this. You just use the tip of your knife. Just waltz your way through. That's some good flesh. That's perfect for a grating. She's going to cut a spoon. Nice. Just to scoop it. Right here? Yep. Niceness. Very sweet. This is salt. Some people call it tender coconut. Flesh of coconut. It's this meat, right? Young coconut meat. Sweet. This is from the tree to you. One more. It's a natural spoon. Just get in here. Break it all up. Just like that. And just go in. Super filling. Sweet and tasty. And that spoon is older than you. What? That spoon is older than you. 37 years old? What are you talking about? The invention of the spoon. The invention of that spoon is older than you. Oh, the invention. Yeah, the invention. Of course. Just make this morning. That's habanero, carrots, onion, and cilantro. And vinegar. The habanero. Yes. It's about to hit you. Be careful. Don't drink it. No. No, you can't drink this. No, no, no pickles. Oh, habanero. He's done. This is how they look when it's done. It's got a nice bright yellow color and it's soft. We still have to wait until it's all cooled so that we can beat it in the hand. Now we're going to leave this to cool off for about 15 to 20 minutes. After it's cooled off, then we're going to pound. But in the meantime, we're going to grate some coconut so we can make the milk. Yeah, make some lasusu. Lasusu? Yeah. Grating on this grater, you have to be very careful because the teeth are very, very sharp. One slip and you'll see bloody Mary. Coconuts came from when they came to the Caribbean. They've actually increased the genetic history of coconuts. I found a paper about that where they were tracing the genome and that's why they know that there were two centers of domestication for coconuts. The Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. And the coconuts that are in the Caribbean, they came from West Africa. That's it, huh? Yeah, that's it. I'm just going to bring it down to finish. Add a little water. So what is a snook? A snook is a mid-water feeder. It feeds on live bait, sardines, fries, and so. So you normally catch them trolling. I can tell it's a barracuda-looking fish because it's more like a fish steak. The same white meat. Bobby, you ready? Yes, man. Dude, I'm excited. This is going to be good food. Yeah. We're going to strain. So with this one coconut, we'll just do two squeezes. That looks so good. Oh, so you add more water? Yeah, we just add a little bit more water. So here, when we're finished with this, we have some chicks. They're going to love the coconut. We're going to give it to our friend so he can feed it to our chickens. Order your chickens. Mix it up with the corn. And they'll love it. It's going to be some tasty chickens. It almost looks like a fish chicharron right there. Right? Yeah. Nice and crispy. That's it. So you're adding all these ingredients to what? All of these ingredients. The onion, the cilantro, the fresh okra, the oregano. All of this is going to go into the coconut milk. So the thinner I cut these vegetables, the better for me. Because these are the ones that play a big role. Because the coconut milk doesn't need much to cook. So whenever the veggies are soft, that's where the oil comes in. That's when it's done. So now we're going to put the veggies into the coconut milk. When these veggies are soft and cooked, the fish will accommodate the veggies in the coconut milk. So the idea about making the milk creamy is to keep it moving. You got to keep it stirring, keep it moving so it doesn't get cuddly. You don't want to make coconut oil. Because when you leave it to sit, that's when it starts going towards coconut oil. Putting the okra into the lassus, into the gravy, into the coconut milk. You don't want to put it in there because you don't want it all to fall in pieces. And these are for pounding. Now this is for the hodu pot. I'm going to start slow because I don't want to spill. How are you? So you're going to put your hand in there, right? No hands! This is how I became the Thor of Fufu. You can put your hand in there while I pound. So this is only the beginning, right? After this, she's going to add some of the sweet plantain. Yes, we're going to add the red one. Pound it some more. So that it's going to eat. So how long does it usually take this? 25 minutes? 10, 20, 25 minutes. Oh, that's a lot of beating. Into the lassus. We let this sizzle for like 5-10 minutes. And we will be ready to eat. So next up we're adding the ripe plantain. So now because it's very soft, you have to be careful in it. So in 2021, I traveled West Africa. I went to Ghana. And I saw this every day. It was actually more intense because you have like 50 women going into one thing. This is just one. I know, I know. This is different. That's it? It's a big fish. Yeah, probably. Don't be afraid to ask for a second round. You know, you don't eat this with a spoon. I mean, you can, but that's not the right way. You take this. You dip it in there. You take your thumb and you pull a little bit of meat off of this fish. So you have a bite with the fish, with the meat. You dip it in the lassus. I love the combination. Everything is fresh. It's a little sweet. A little fishy. Love coconut. Oh, and the okra too. Bite in here. What a dish. So good, right? This is one of my favorite dishes in our country. It's so good. And it doesn't matter what your culture is. Everybody in Belize appreciates a nice hotpot. I love how you can just get the, I guess this is just smashed plantains. You just drench your, just let it soak up the coconut. Alright, let's get that. Dip it in there. Dip it in your lassus. Mmm. Fingers are made before forks. There's also a lot of enzymes in the fingertips to help break down food. And then of course, we have our pepper option. They call onion sauce in Belize, but of course this is full of habanero. Got vinegar to help cut a little bit of the richness. Maybe a little bit here. I'll take a tiny bit. We're just going to put a little spicy vinegar on there and it's going to make a huge difference in the flavor. It's a really nice compliment. I tell you, this is like happy food. Comfort. Happy hunger. It's the best dish I've tried in the country. Semeti. I love coconut. It's like a nice coconut soup. So how did you learn how to do this? Your mother and sir? Grandmother. Learning your language. Coconut, man. I love coconut. And it's what makes Belizean food Belizean. You know, like how we stand out because in Mexico and Guatemala they don't use coconut. Except if you go to a Garifuna village on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. They don't use coconut. So I've been to Livingston. Livingston has Garifuna culture. A lot of people in Belize here are Garifuna. They might have relatives over we say across. Across the Bay of Honduras in Livingston. Across the Bay of Honduras. You got these old fishermen back in their young days. They had a wife over there and a wife over there. Your pa did that? Your pa had a wife over there and a wife over there. Cheers. That was a massive fish. Man, you killed it. I killed it. It was good. This was the best. Congratulations. Best food in Belize so far, right? I'll tell you. It blew away every other dish. Because you can't beat it when you make the coconut milk from scratch. Plus the fresh fish. Fresh fish, fresh herbs. I remember what I told you, David, that in Belize we say when you cook on a wood-burning fire hearth you're going to get the best food. Well, you see? It's the best food. Fire hearth. That's the oven and everything in one. All in one. Amazing. You better believe this. That's how you say thank you. Thank you so much. We just arrived here at my hotel, Naya Resort and Spa. This is where I'm staying in Plasencia. It's only like a 15-minute drive north of the city, of the town. And right here we have the beach homes, right? I have a one-bedroom. We have a pool right in front. We have the beach right there. Let me show you the unit. Here you can come, relax, jump in the pool, sunbathe. Right here we have the living room. We have a couch, a chair, we have a kitchenette, TV. Over here we have the master, master bedroom. Love this place. Super beachy, right? Same time, mixed with that classic modern look. Here we have his hearth, toilet, we have a bathtub. Beautiful just laying here, relaxed with this garden outside. And here we have the shower. The shower's an outside shower. So here's the shower. Let's turn it on. This is the only shower they got since we got used. And we're actually really, really high up. You see from outside, we're like 15 feet up. And now let me change because I'm going to the beach. Alright, change. Let's go to the pool. We can jump in here, right? Woo! It's cold. Alright, let's go to the beach. Oh, it's cold. Let's go to the beach. So that was our day here in Plasencia. This is Naya Resort and Spa. Definitely stay here when you're in Plasencia. I highly recommend them. They have a 1981 restaurant upstairs. They have downstairs the bar and grill. They can have breakfast. They have the pool. They have the beach. Must visit. Guys, I hope you enjoyed this video. If you did, thumbs up down below. Subscribe to my channel. I'll see you in the next one. Let's jump in the pool.