Ingredients
Caldillo (dressing)
- 500 mlwhite vinegar
- 250 mlolive oil
- 2 tbspyellow mustard
- 1 tspdried thyme
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 4spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 tspsugar
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspblack pepper
Encurtido (pickled vegetables)
- 300 gcauliflower florets
- 250 gcarrots, sliced into coins
- 200 ggreen beans, cut into lengths
- 200 gbaby corn
- 150 gpeas
- 200 gpacaya palm flowers, boiled, or extra baby corn
- 2onions, sliced
- 150 gbeetroot, cooked and diced, for the red version
Meats and cheeses
- 300 gGuatemalan longaniza, fried and sliced
- 300 gchorizo, fried and sliced
- 200 gcured ham, sliced
- 200 gcooked beef brisket, shredded
- 200 groast chicken, shredded
- 200 gbutifarra sausage, sliced
- 200 gqueso fresco, cubed
- 150 gaged hard cheese, sliced
Garnish
- 6eggs, hard-boiled and quartered
- 150 ggreen olives
- 6pickled jalapeños or chiles en escabeche
- 100 gcapers
- Radishes, cut into flowers
- Curly parsley
- Pan francés, to serve
Directions
- Whisk all the caldillo ingredients together and leave the dressing to stand overnight. It should taste sharply acidic; it has a mountain of ingredients to season.
- Boil each vegetable separately in salted water, so that every one keeps its own texture, and stop each while it still has bite: cauliflower 4 minutes, carrots 5, beans 4, peas 3.
- Drain the vegetables well, dress each one while it is still warm with some of the caldillo, and refrigerate them in separate bowls for 24 hours to pickle.
- Fry the longaniza, chorizo and butifarra until cooked through and browned, drain on a rack and cool completely, then slice.
- Poach and shred the beef and the chicken and dress both lightly with caldillo so they do not taste bland against the pickles.
- The next day, drain the pickled vegetables and toss them together into one great mass, keeping a little of each back for the top.
- Build a wide flat platter: the dressed vegetables spread as a bed, the meats and cheeses arranged in overlapping rings or wedges over them.
- Arrange the garnish geometrically, which is half the point of the dish: quartered eggs around the rim, olives, capers, chiles, radish flowers, sprigs of parsley.
- Spoon over any remaining caldillo, cover and chill at least 4 hours. Fiambre is served cold, never warmed.
- Serve with pan francés and, at the graveside or the family table, on 1 November, with the beetroot version stirred through if your family makes it rojo.
Technique
- Fiambre is eaten on 1 November, the Day of All Saints, when Guatemalan families gather in cemeteries; it exists as a way of bringing everything from the household larder into one dish shared with the dead.
- There is no fixed recipe. Household versions run from 20 to over 50 ingredients, and each family’s is inherited and defended.
- Every vegetable must be cooked and dressed separately or the whole platter turns into one uniform pickled mush.
- It is made a full day ahead. The dish needs the overnight rest for the caldillo to penetrate, and keeps for several days refrigerated.
- Food safety: it sits out for hours at a graveside, so keep it chilled until the moment it is served and return leftovers to the fridge promptly.
Substitutions
- No pacaya: it is a bitter palm flower with no real equivalent; use extra baby corn and add a few salted capers for the bitter note.
- No Guatemalan longaniza: use a coarse fresh Spanish or Mexican-style sausage; the seasoning differs but the role is the same.
- No pan francés: a plain French roll or baguette is the same bread by another name.
Variations
- Fiambre rojo, coloured through with beetroot.
- Fiambre blanco, made without beetroot so the vegetables stay pale.
- Fiambre desarmado, served with the components laid out separately rather than mixed.
History
A cold platter of dozens of meats, sausages and pickled vegetables eaten on 1 November, when families gather at cemeteries for All Saints.
Frequently asked questions
What is Fiambre?
Fiambre is a salad & side from Guatemala: vast chilled salad of meats and pickled vegetables for Day of the Dead. A cold platter of dozens of meats, sausages and pickled vegetables eaten on 1 November, when families gather at cemeteries for All Saints.
How long does Fiambre take to make?
Fiambre takes 3 hr of preparation and 1 hr, plus 24 hr chilling of cooking. The recipe makes 12 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Fiambre?
Yes, within limits. No pacaya: it is a bitter palm flower with no real equivalent; use extra baby corn and add a few salted capers for the bitter note. No Guatemalan longaniza: use a coarse fresh Spanish or Mexican-style sausage; the seasoning differs but the role is the same. No pan francés: a plain French roll or baguette is the same bread by another name.
What is the most important thing to get right in Fiambre?
Poach and shred the beef and the chicken and dress both lightly with caldillo so they do not taste bland against the pickles.
