Authentic local food, Maya cooking classes, Manakin Birding Trail at Upe Nai

Leonila (Nila) Mai

For many cultures, Sunday family dinners are a tradition. It is a time set aside for loved ones, shared over favorite meals usually crafted by family matriarchs. For many Belizeans, this tradition holds true. What started as the usual family dinner on Sundays at the home of Philip and Leonila (Nila) Mai, Yucatec Maya who live east of the picturesque San Antonio Village in the Cayo District, evolved into a culinary and cultural destination after the community gravitated to their authentic, fire-hearth cooking.

Stephanie Martinez

Daughter Stephanie Martinez explained, “My lovely mama dreamed about this place called Upe Nai (a dream come true in Yucatec Mayan). She loves to cook, so we encouraged her to continue cooking the recipes she got from her mom, and now she is passing them on to me. I love learning from her, and she is happy that out of three sisters, I am the only one doing what she loves: cooking.  Our goal is to keep the authentic traditional recipes and pass them on to other generations to come.”

The roadside Upe Nai is nestled within lush jungle foliage under a covered, open-air dining area. The smoky aroma of burning wood, grilled meat, and tortillas hot off the comal permeates the ambiance, and the décor is splashed with bright Maya fabrics that cover the tables topped with vases of pink and white ginger blossoms. One side of the dining room is rowed with tables and fire hearths where bubbling caldrons of Caldo de Gallina, a very hearty chicken soup thick with locally sourced vegetables and spices, and Escabeche, a Mestizo onion soup with chicken and dotted with floating orange habanero peppers. Thin pork steaks sizzle in preparation of Poc Chuc, a signature Yucatec Maya dish, prepared in citrus marinade and grilled to perfection.

The warm staff is equally colorful while Mama Nila beams from ear to ear as she flips handmade corn tortillas on the hot comal. Ms. Stehanie introduces us to the meal choices, letting us taste the soups as she drops a splash of deliciousness into our clean palms to slurp up. The bursts of flavors complicate picking which one will be lunch; it’s all so good! Daily specials can also include pork pibil, tamales, tacos, and vegetarian options.

Sometimes, there are no words to describe the subtle seduction of culinary magic. Spiced with the warmth of smoky fire and laced with their secret ingredient, “LOVE,” as Ms. Stephanie says, the meals are tremendously satisfying and flavorful. Not that it needs it, but their marinated red onion and diced habanero sauce adds a spicy kick! Refreshing iced all-spice or sorrel tea follows as the perfect thirst quencher.

Why not learn how to make your favorite dish? The lovely ladies at Upe Nai offer a half-day cooking class. The experience includes understanding the ancestors’ way of preparing things from scratch, such as planting, shelling, cleaning, cooking, and grinding corn into masa. Masa is used in different ways, including making tortillas, salutes, Atole, tamales, and more. Participants then get to eat their culinary creations for lunch! It is recommended that you reserve your class two days in advance.

Not only is Upe Nai a culinary treat, but the area also includes the Manakin Birding Trail. Established by Roni Martinez, one of Belize’s leading bird guides, who happens to be Stephanie’s lucky husband, the trail boasts more than 260 species of birds. A perfect day would be exploring the trail and then taming your hunger with a scrumptious lunch.

To learn more about Upe Nai, place orders, or make reservations, please visit their Facebook page, e-mail [email protected], call 501 600-3447, or message them on WhatsApp at 638-7046.

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About the Author: Tamara Sniffin

I’m a sucker for a fuzzy face, a feathered face, a face with fins or even one with scales! I am in love with the creatures and the flora that are synonymous with Belize and every opportunity I have to learn more about them and explore their wild habitats I am there! I’m the happiest when I’m snorkeling the reef and swimming with turtles, however my passion is not just limited to critters! Laced throughout this compact jungle gem of a country live the Kriol, Maya, Garifuna, Mestizo and Spanish people, and experiencing each culture, especially their celebrations is one of my favorite pastimes.

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