Discover Guam’s traditional cuisine

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Among those who are well versed in the arts of travel in the Pacific area, Guam is not the most interesting island you can find. Some blame it for being too populous and cosmopolitan, a far cry from the small Pacific islands with unique personalities.

And while Guam probably lacks the ‘prestige’ of tropical paradises like Palau or Fiji, but it is trying its best to prove that the local culture is worth the time of tourists. And indeed, the local cuisine, traditions and customs of Guam are definitely worth discovering. Tumon is considered as Guam’s official tourist destination, but there is much more than that to this fascinating country.

Foodies are right when they say that a country’s cuisine is the best indicator of its character. So once you get to know some of the national dishes, you are one step closer to understand a country and its dishes. When traveling to Guam, tasting some local dishes is one of the first things that you should do (apart from visiting interesting places), is to try out some local Chamorro specialties. And if you don’t know what to order, here’s a list that can help you pick, and open your appetite.

Chicken dishes

Chicken Estufao  is one of the most well-loved dishes in Guam, and it has lots in common with western cuisine, so it’s probably the best way to start your culinary journey. Chicken Estufao is a fairly simple but filling meal made up of pieces of chicken stewed in with lots of fresh tomatoes and onions, served with steaming bowls of rice and refreshing cucumber salad. But not all the Chamorro chicken dishes are quite so tame. Take morcizas for example: chicken neck stuffed with chicken meat, onions, pepper leaves and garlic, tied at the ends and boiled in broth.

Kelaguen

Kelaguen is a special way of preparing meat in Guam. Kelaguen dishes can be mad with chicken, beef or seafood, but the preparation follows the same principle. Cooked chicken or shrimp, or raw beef is shredded and marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, coconut, green onions and chillies.

These simple ingredients produce a very tasty salad type dish that can be eaten over rice, or wrapped in a tortilla. Kelaguen is usually served with finadene, a sour, salty, spicy sauce made of soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, onions and chillies.

Desserts

Roskettes are Chamorro cornstarch cookies, made with ‘traditional’ cookie ingredients, except that flour is substituted with cornstarch. However, the recipes can vary, and according to the region where you eat your roskettes, you might end up with very thick and chewey cookies, or crumbly melt-in-your-mouth treats.

Another traditional and very tasty Chamorro desert is the kalamai, a coconut/cornmeal pudding, also referred to as coconut gelatin. Traditionally, kalamai is green or red (food coloring is used) and sprinkled with cinnamon.  The pudding is creamy, soft and has a distinctive aroma, and it is usually served in pie-like slices.

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