Pig Tail at El Fogon Restaurant in San Pedro, Belize

El Fogon is a favorite restaurant in San Pedro preparing classic CLASSIC Mestizo and Creole Belizean dishes in a very classic way.

You’ll see the fogon or fire hearth as soon as you walk in.  It’s not just used for show.  They are preparing most dishes over this wood burning fire.

The restaurant is a family business – and you’ll meet many of them when you dine there.

I was meeting friends – including my guide from the Cockscomb Jaguar Reserve tour, Doyle.   (GO ON THIS TOUR if and when you are in Placencia.)  He’s cousins with the owners of El Fogon.

Yesterday’s specials.

 

El Fogon has expanded quite a bit over the last year.  And though it was empty when I first arrived at about 11.50am, the place was pretty packed up by 12.15.  In Belize, lunch time is lunch time.  Mid-day.  Noon.  It’s as if everyone is programmed with some sort of internal clock that rings at that time.

A bar area…

And just delicious food.  The coconut rice is worth the visit alone.  Moist and tasty.  I went for a favorite of mine.  Pig tail.

A “meat” that is very popular in Belize.  It is sold from a bucket called a pigtail bucket and though I am hesitant to show you a photo…but…how bad can it be?

Here it is.

This one from AmbergrisToday.com and the tails have been nicely dried and arranged.

The odd thing is that the tails come from Canada.  Canadians probably don’t eat a lot of pig tail and Belize probably doesn’t produce enough pigs to fill the tail demand.

ANYWAY…it’s salty and meaty and delicious.  Just not exactly a first date kinda food.

I actually have prepared it a few times.  (In case you are curious…)

El Fogon’s pigtail with split peas was the best I’ve ever had.  Properly boiled and soaked to take away most of the salt and the peas were like a smooth buttery pea soup.

Yum.

You will never see a more beautiful presentation of this dish.  That’s for sure.

For more last visit to El Fogon and the DELICIOUS conch fritters – the very best I’ve ever had, check out this post.

Otherwise, visit them in person.  Just around the corner from the Tropic terminal in San Pedro.