What's Cooking in... Honduras

I love jungle waterfalls and have played in many a pool at the bottom of a cascade. For a visit my husband, John, and I made to Honduras in June 2014, there was one place I particularly wanted to stay because of its location at the foot of a fall on the Bejuco River. It was Las Cascadas Lodge (Km. 6 Carretera a Yaruca, La Ceiba, Honduras; phone [504] 9923 6237 or, the Florida office, 352/385-7555, www.lascascadaslodge.com). 

The 3-room, boutique lodge lies east of La Ceiba at kilometer 6 Carretera a Yaruca. The turn, which is easy to miss, is east of the bridge over the Cangrejal River. The entrance, also easy to miss, is on the left, with large green wooden doors secreting the lodge from the road. 

After driving up the dusty, bumpy road, I felt like Dorothy arriving in Oz as I entered the lodge. The doors opened to lush vegetation, brilliant flowers, birds, the falls and the lodge, constructed of local wood and stone that blended with their surroundings. All the rooms looked out at the cascades. 

John and I enjoyed the plunge pool at the bottom of the falls and also the one above it, accessed by a well-laid stone path. There were other plunge pools farther up the trail.

We paid $165 per person, double occupancy, which included meals prepared to order by the chef, Olvin. 

After dinner, Ryan, the lodge’s general manager, asked what time we wanted breakfast because he was leading a group on his “Waterfalls Descent & Canyoning Tour.” He said Olvin would prepare a typical breakfast. 

John and I have been to Honduras many times and have always enjoyed the hearty breakfasts. A traditional Honduran breakfast is Huevos Rancheros (fried eggs, ranch style), typically served with refried beans, hard Olancho white cheese, a dollop of sour cream, chorizo (spicy pork sausage) and tortillas. Of course, Honduran coffee is a must.

Huevos Rancheros originated with farm workers who needed a substantial meal to start a day of labor in the fields. Variations of Huevos Rancheros are found throughout Central America.

I asked Ryan if Olvin would show me how to make Huevos Rancheros. “But, of course!” was the response.

In the morning, Olvin had all the ingredients laid out. I watched as he prepared the eggs and talked me through the recipe. I thought that his quick method of preparing the recipe was very easy.