Guatemalan Fiambre Salad

Fiambre is an elaborate Guatemalan salad made of dozens of ingredients marinated in vinegar, traditionally prepared for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2019.

It’s one of the most complex preparations in Guatemalan cuisine, with family recipes that can include up to 50 different ingredients among meats, cold cuts, vegetables, and pickles.

Guatemalan Fiambre Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

• Prep Time: 22 hours
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 23 hours
• Yield: 12 servings
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Guatemalan

Print Recipe

---

Ingredients

• 300 g of beef, cooked and cubed (about 10.5 oz)
• 300 g of chicken, cooked and shredded (about 10.5 oz)
• 200 g of pork, cooked and cubed (about 7 oz)
• 200 g of chorizo, cooked and sliced (about 7 oz)
• 150 g of ham, cubed (about 5.3 oz)
• 150 g of sausage, sliced (about 5.3 oz)
• 150 g of fresh cheese, cubed (about 5.3 oz)
• 2 of carrots, cooked and sliced
• 1 cup of green beans, cooked
• 1 cup of cauliflower, cooked in florets
• 1 cup of cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 of beet, cooked and cubed
• 1 of red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of green olives
• 1/2 cup of capers
• 1/2 cup of pickled pearl onions
• 3 of hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 cup of white vinegar
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• to taste of oregano, salt, and pepper
• to taste of lettuce leaves, to serve

---

Instructions

1. Cook the meats, boil the beef, chicken, and pork separately until tender. Also cook the chorizo and sausage.
2. Cook the vegetables, boil the carrot, green beans, cauliflower, and beet separately until al dente (keep the beet separate so it doesn’t stain the rest).
3. Cut everything, cut all the meats, cold cuts, cheeses, and vegetables into small, even cubes or slices.
4. Make the dressing, mix the vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until combined.
5. Combine, in a large bowl, mix all the meats, cold cuts, cheeses, vegetables, red onion, olives, capers, and pickled onions.
6. Marinate, pour the dressing over the mixture and stir gently to coat all the ingredients.
7. Rest, let it rest in the fridge for at least several hours, ideally overnight, so the flavors blend.
8. Serve, serve cold, over lettuce leaves, garnished with sliced hard-boiled egg.

Tips for getting it right

• Cutting all the ingredients into small, even pieces helps ensure a variety of flavors in every bite.
• Cooking the beet separately keeps its color from bleeding into the rest of the ingredients before serving.
• Letting the fiambre marinate overnight is key to fully blending the flavors with the vinegar.
• Every Guatemalan family has its own version, with more or fewer ingredients depending on inherited tradition.

Traditional variations

• Fiambre has been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Guatemalan Nation since 2019.
• There’s a variant known as “red fiambre,” which incorporates beet and its juice directly into the dressing, giving the whole dish a pink color.
• Some family recipes include up to 50 different ingredients, while others are simpler.

How to serve

Fiambre is served cold, over lettuce leaves, traditionally on November 1st (All Saints’ Day) and November 2nd (All Souls’ Day).

It’s one of Guatemala’s most important culinary traditions, associated with visiting cemeteries and honoring family memory.

Recommended sides

• French bread
• Tortillas

Did you know?

Fiambre was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation through Ministerial Agreement 880-2019.

It’s made only once a year, specifically for All Saints’ Day, and some families preserve and reuse recipes passed down through generations.