Cooked At 1,000 Degrees Celsius: Guatemala's Volcanic Pizza
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published May 13, 2021 | 12:00 AM
San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2021 ) :Guatemala's Pacaya volcano has been erupting since February, keeping local communities and authorities on high alert.
But for David Garcia, the streams of molten lava oozing down the mountainside have become his kitchen.
Garcia, a 34-year-old accountant, serves up "Pacaya Pizza" cooked on the smouldering volcanic rock to awed tourists and locals.
"Many people today come to enjoy the experience of eating pizza made on volcanic heat," Garcia told AFP from a rocky area that leads to the Pacaya crater, and which he's converted into his workplace.
In his makeshift kitchen, Garcia spreads the dough on a metal platter that can resist temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit), slathers it with tomato sauce, a generous helping of cheese and pieces of meat.
Wearing protective clothing from head to his military style boots, Garcia places the pizza on the lava.
"It's done, just let the cheese melt some more," he announces 10 minutes later.
"That pizza looks so good!" exclaims one of the tourists as the cheese bubbles.
Garcia's kitchen has become a magnet for tourists that work up a appetite climbing the massive volcano -- one of three active ones in Guatemala -- located just 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the capital.
- 'Only' in Guatemala - He first started baking pizzas on the mountain side in 2013 in small caverns he found amongst the rocks.
"I didn't sell much the first few days," said Garcia, whose fame has now spread throughout social media.
In recent weeks, with Pacaya regularly spitting out molten rock, he started cooking the pizzas directly on the moving lava, some of which has come close to population centers.
It's a potentially risky undertaking given the plumes of volcanic ash blasted into the sky by the angry beast, to which some local villagers pray, pleading with it to desist.
"Having a pizza cooked in the embers of a volcano is mind-blowing and unique in the whole world," said Felipe Aldana, a tourist trying out one of Garcia's specialities.
He found about about the pizza joint on Facebook and thought: "I have to have this experience.""It's ridiculous just thinking that you're going to eat something cooked on lava, but it's something that you can see only here" in Guatemala, said Kelt Van Meurs, a Dutch visitor.
Recent Stories
Non-Muslim Pakistanis enjoy freedom, state patronage: Kundi
Dengue Control Committee gathers in Jhang
BHP launches $38.8 billion takeover bid for rival Anglo American
Saudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
Awais Leghari meets Chief Minister Sindh
Putin says plans to visit China in May
IHC adjourns cipher case till April 30
Identification specifics required to know about lawmakers put on travel stop lis ..
Court stops PTI founder, his wife from provocative statements against institutio ..
Experts demand stakeholder intervention to boost tax-net, revitalize taxation re ..
Higher taxes, awareness help decrease cigarettes sale in Pakistan
Sindh Minister of Works and Services Ali Hassan Zardari reviews ongoing projects ..
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
PDMA predicts gusty wind, rain with thunder, hails
2 days ago -
Iranian president Raisi given guard of honour at PM House
3 days ago -
Intellectuals, writers accolades Naseer Mirza on his literary contribution
4 days ago -
Bahawalpur Adabi Sangat hosts memorable mushaira
4 days ago -
Cattle farming vital to alleviate poverty in rural areas
4 days ago -
Pakistan: A land of tourism, archeological wonders
5 days ago
-
Transforming education sector: from job hunters to job creators
6 days ago -
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
10 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
11 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
11 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur presents program “Eidi Shidi”
14 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur to broadcast Eid programs
16 days ago