Fiambre Chapin

FIAMBRE is a national food of Guatemala and is consumed each year on the morning of All Saints’ Day and the Day of the Dead, November 1st. The majority of housewives and cooks makes and serves it in a way that expresses the individuality, the inconformity and the independence of the population of “Chapines” as the people of Guatemala refer to themselves for no apparent reason. No two recipes are the same. Each cookbook offers a different concoction. Every housewife is convinced that hers is the best. If you wanted an English word to describe the conglomeration of meats, vegetables, chile, assorted spices and who knows what else, the most appropriate would be “gallimaufry” which my dictionary tells me is “a hodgepodge, jumble, confused medley.” All of which might be applied appropriately to the contents of this book.