What is Pepian made of?
Sarah Cherry
Published Mar 06, 2026
What is Pepian made of?
Pepian has a thick, deep-red sauce made of tomatoes, garlic and chilis, dotted with chunks of meat, carrots and potatoes. Spicy but not tongue-numbing, it is typically served over rice, and is savored by Guatemalans of all walks of life.
What is Guatemala’s national dish?
pepián
Guatemala doesn’t really have a national dish, but pepián is probably the closest thing to it. This spicy stew, borne out of the fusion of the Spanish and Maya cultures, is one of the oldest dishes in Guatemala. Although chicken is most commonly used, it can also be made with beef or pork.
What is Guatemala Pepian made of?
Pepitoria is made of toasted pepita (squash seeds) and sesame seeds ground into a fine powder. The pepitoria both thickens the sauce, creates a smooth texture and adds a deliciously nut-like flavour to the recado (sauce). Pepian, blue corn tortillas, rice and avocado at Sabe Rico restaurant in Antigua Guatemala.
How much does Pepian cost in Guatemala?
What’s the bill? Pepián can be found in most street markets, as well as diners and restaurants serving typical Guatemalan food. The bill will vary from $2-3 in the market to $5-15 in restaurants around my home town, Antigua.
What is Guatemala famous food?
Top 10 must try traditional food in Guatemala
- Pepian. This traditional chicken stew comes from the central region of Guatemala and comes served with veggies and rice .
- Rellenitos.
- Tostadas. This list could not be complete without the mighty tostada!
- Arroz en leche.
- Enchilada.
- Champurradas.
- Gallo en Chicha.
- Tapado.
What is the most popular dish in Guatemala?
Here are some of our favorite picks for traditional food in Guatemala:
- Pepian. This traditional chicken stew comes from the central region of Guatemala and comes served with veggies and rice .
- Rellenitos.
- Tostadas.
- Arroz en leche.
- Enchilada.
- Champurradas.
- Gallo en Chicha.
- Tapado.
What do poor Guatemalans eat?
Eggs and vegetables often accompany black beans and tortillas (often made by combining ground cornmeal with lime juice) for dinner. Extremely poor Guatemalans sometimes eat little more than corn, beans, and fruit.
What does Pepian taste like?
What does it taste like? It’s thick and rich, with a wealth of roasted spices blended together. Most often it contains meat; chicken, beef or pork. It’s a bit bitter because of the roasting of the ingredients prior to the blending and cooking.
What is the most famous Guatemalan dish?
Hilachas is a staple of Guatemalan cuisine, a red-colored stew featuring ingredients such as shredded beef and vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, squash, or carrots. The name of the dish means shreds or rags, referring to shredded beef, which is the star of hilachas.
What is pepian de pollo?
Pepian de Pollo is a delicious chicken stew layered with roasted peppers, pepitoria and sesame seeds blended together into a rich and meaty sauce. Borne from the fusion of Mayan and Spanish cultures, there cannot be a dish more representative of the Guatemalan cuisine than the Pepian de Pollo.
What is pepian made from?
Although it could be prepared with pork, beef or chicken or sometimes a combination of various meats, but Pepian made from chicken is the most famous. Different variants of the dish also feature vegetables and fruits like onion, tomato, carrots, squash, pear and corn.
What is pepian Indio sauce?
Recado de Pepian Indio (Guatemalan Pepian Indio Sauce) “Pepian is among the 4 national dishes of Guatemala. Pepian is hot, hearty, simple, yet complex. In Guatemala, pepian has as many variations as there are cooks. Here is my recipe for a simpler version of this sauce. Serve with white rice.”. Added to shopping list. Go to shopping list.