Foods to try in Guyana
Disponible solo en inglés
Pepperpot, cook-up rice, metemgee, garlic pork, roti and curry, bakes, pastries and local drinks, and the peoples behind them.
Guyanese food mixes Indigenous, African, Indian, Portuguese, Chinese and British traditions, much like the country's history.[1] See Indentureship and Indigenous peoples.
National dishes
Pepperpot
A slow cooked meat stew flavoured with cassareep, a seasoning made from the juice of bitter cassava root. It is traditionally made with wiri wiri chilli peppers, a variety native to Guyana. It takes hours to cook, so it is mostly eaten at Christmas and on special occasions. Like the original Amerindian version, it keeps for days because the cassareep helps preserve the meat. Pepperpot is one of Guyana's national dishes, along with chicken curry and cook-up rice.[2][3]
Cook-up rice
Guyana's take on Caribbean rice and peas, cooked in one pot. It is a traditional dish on Emancipation Day, 1 August.[1][4]
Curry and roti
Curry is hugely popular and almost any meat can be curried: chicken, goat, lamb, duck or seafood.[1] It is often eaten with roti. A good Guyanese roti is very soft and layered, and dosti roti is common. Dal puri is another favourite from the Indian tradition.[1][5]
More to try
| Dish | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Metemgee | A thick, rich soup of ground provisions in coconut milk with large dumplings called duff, eaten with fried fish or chicken. Also eaten on Emancipation Day | [1][4] |
| Garlic pork | Pork in a vinegar and garlic marinade, brought by Portuguese settlers from Madeira in the early 1800s. A Christmas favourite | [1][6] |
| Cassava bread | A common bread made from cassava, shown below drying at Paramakotoi | [1] |
| Bake | Guyanese bakes are fried dough made with butter or margarine | [5] |
| Pholourie | An Indian street food served with chutney or sour | [1][9] |
| Cheese rolls, pine tarts, patties | Bakery pastries from the British tradition; pine tarts are pineapple tarts | [1] |
| Chow mein, lo mein, "chicken in the ruff" | Guyanese Chinese dishes; chicken in the ruff is fried rice with Chinese style fried chicken | [1] |
| Black cake | A rich Christmas cake of dried fruit soaked for weeks or months in rum or wine | [1][7] |
Drinks
- Mauby: made from tree bark.[1][8]
- Sorrel: made from hibiscus.[1]
- Ginger beer: made from ginger root; the Christmas drink of choice.[1]
- Lime wash, pine drink and peanut punch: popular homemade drinks.[1]
Where to find it
Markets such as Bourda and Stabroek sell fresh produce and street food, but read the safety advice for markets in Places to visit: Georgetown first.[10] Roti shops and Chinese restaurants are found across the coast.[5]
Health
Check your government's latest health advice for Guyana before you travel.[10][11]
References
- "Guyanese cuisine". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyanese_cuisine (accessed 24 Oct 2026) Open source Checked 24 Oct 2026.
- "Guyanese pepperpot". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyanese_pepperpot Open source
- "Cassareep". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassareep Open source
- "Emancipation Day". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Day Open source
- "Roti". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti Open source
- "Carne de vinha d'alhos" (Garlic pork). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carne_de_vinha_d%27alhos Open source
- "Rum cake" (Black cake). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rum_cake Open source
- "Mauby". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauby Open source
- "Indo-Guyanese". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Guyanese Open source
- "Guyana: Travel Advisory". US Department of State. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Guyana.html (checked 24 Oct 2026) Open source Checked 24 Oct 2026.
- "Guyana travel advice: Health". Government of Canada. https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/guyana (checked 24 Oct 2026) Open source Checked 24 Oct 2026.
Categories: Culture | Travel guide | Food and drink
Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted in part from the Wikipedia articles listed under References (CC BY-SA 4.0). Images are credited under their own licences. Site contact: service@computingcore.net.