17 Famous Guamanian Food Dishes

Kelaguen is a marinated seafood or meat dish in Guam. It was adapted from a similar Filipino dish called kilawin.

Locals prepare kelaguen by immersing raw meat or seafood in a blend of lemon juice, hot chili peppers, grated coconut, and scallions. The result is a tangy, spicy, and creamy dish.

Mainstream variations are kelaguen uhang (with raw shrimp) and kelaguen mannok (with grilled chicken).

You can enjoy Kelaguen as an appetizer, side dish, or entree that goes well with rice, tortillas, or titiyas (Guamnian flour tortillas).

Eneksa agaga, also known as Saipan red rice, is a traditional rice dish from Guam. Locals normally enjoy it as a side dish at Chamorro fiestas and everyday meals.

To prepare eneksa agaga, people simply simmer rice with bacon, onions, and annatto seeds. The last ingredient is essential in creating an outstanding orange-red hue.

Chalakiles is a traditional Guamanian chicken soup made with onions, garlic, toasted ground rice, achiote (annatto) powder, and coconut milk. Some versions also feature crab meat and additional vegetables.

The toasted ground rice thickens the soup, while achiote powder adds a characteristic earthy hue to chalakiles. Meanwhile, coconut milk imparts a luscious creaminess.

Chalakiles takes center stage during many Chamorro festivities and is served piping hot alongside steamed rice.

The Chamorro chicken soup is a perfect substitute for kå’du fanihi, a soup traditionally made with fruit bats (now an endangered species in Guam).

Fina’denne’ is a popular Guamanian condiment and a hallmark of Chamorro cooking. Also known as finadene, it is a salt and pepper mixture evolving with the region’s rich cultural history.

Modern fina’denne’ has spicy chili peppers, tangy vinegar or lemon juice, and an umami-rich of soy sauce, onions, and chili peppers. These ingredients were added through contacts with Europeans, Filipinos, and the Japanese.

There are countless fina’denne’ variations with different ingredients. Guamanians whip up Fina’denne’ by simply stirring the ingredients together to use as a dipping sauce or a condiment.

Titiyas, pronounced as ta-tee-jas, is a thick, soft flatbread hailing from Guam. It’s a comforting snack or accompaniment to savory Guamanian foods.

Titiyas’ main ingredients are all-purpose flour, baking powder, coconut milk, sugar, and either lard or shortening. While this flatbread might remind you of flour tortillas in Mexico or the US, it is noticeably thicker.

Månha titiyas and lemmai titiyas are two popular versions, which incorporate young coconut meat and breadfruit, respectively.

Kadon pika is a traditional stew in Guam, combining a blend of chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onions, coconut milk, and hot chili peppers. The word “kadun” or “kadon” signifies dishes simmered in a flavorful broth.

Kadon pika boasts an irresistibly sour and spicy flavor. Locals often ladle it over steamed rice, eneksa agaga, cooked vegetables, or gollai hågun suni (Chamorro spinach cooked in coconut milk).

Guyuria is a Guamanian cookie of Chamorro people, famous for its long shelf life. Interestingly, its texture is so hard that people nickname it jawbreakers.

Typical guyuria consists of all-purpose flour, butter, coconut milk, and baking powder. The resulting cookies are deep-fried and coated with a sugar glaze.

Guyuria made without butter is highly brittle, while the larger ones can surprise you with a softer inside.

Kalamai, also known as Chamorro corn pudding or coconut gelatin, is a well-known Guamanian dessert. Pronounced ka-la-my, it was inspired by kalamay (Filipino sweet sticky rice).

This red-hued corn pudding combines masa harina, cornstarch, sugar, water, coconut milk, and aromatics like vanilla or cinnamon. The ingredients are boiled together to create a dessert with a unique bouncy texture.

Among renowned Guamnian sweet treats, kalamai is in the same league as mado’ya (banana fritters), champalado (chocolate rice pudding), and bonelos (yam donuts).

Latiya, or lantiya, is a Guamanian sponge cake covered with vanilla custard. It originated from the Spanish cake recipes introduced to Guam between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Latiya features a layer of rich vanilla custard made of butter, evaporated milk, coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and cinnamon. The base is a sponge cake using all-purpose flour, baking powder, butter, eggs, and sugar.

Today, many latiya recipes can replace the sponge cake with a pound cake, yellow cake, or angel food cake.

Tinaktak is a Guamanian stew from Guam that cooks the main ingredients in spiced coconut milk. Locals typically prepare it with chopped meat (commonly beef), green beans, tomatoes, and onions.

In some tinaktak variations, seafood is the main protein source. Tinaktak often goes with steamed rice as the main course.

Roskette, or rosketti, is a Guamanian cornstarch cookie that doubles as a snack or dessert. It calls for a mix of cornstarch, flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla.

The texture of this cornstarch-based cookie ranges from crumbly to quite hard after baking. Traditional roskettes come in a ring or coil-like shape, adding an artistic touch.

Buñelos uhang is a shrimp fritter from Guam. It first appeared in the 1920s and was inspired by American fritters.

People often make buñelos uhang by deep-frying a mixture of shrimp, flour, evaporated milk, eggs, onions, green beans, garlic, and, occasionally, beer.

Also known as Chamorro shrimp patty, buñelos uhang makes a delightful appetizer. Some buñelos uhang variations feature Spam (salty canned pork), while others replace shrimp with fruits to serve as a dessert.

Tinala’ katne is a well-known dish of cured and dried beef in Guam. When Spaniards introduced cattle to the island in the 17th century, beef-related dishes became popular, with tinala’ katne as a beloved choice.

Tinala’ katne, meaning “dry meat,” is prepared by curing beef with vinegar, garlic, salt, and black pepper. The flavorful dry beef is similar to beef jerky and makes a tasty main course when paired with eneksa agaga and fresh vegetables.

Hotnon babui is a traditional Guamanian specialty made by spit-roasting a whole pig. This roasted pig is often the centerpiece of fiestas (lavish Chamorro parties).

Guamanians use the technique of chinahan to prepare this specialty. They roast the pig for hours in a spit lined with heat-retaining lava stones, creating juicy pork encased in crispy skin.

Hotnon babui only calls for pork and water used for basting. Its unique preparation method makes it an emblem of Guam’s culinary landscape.

Bunelos Aga is a famous fried dough snack in Guam. It is the Chamorro version of bunuelos, the beloved fried dough fritter found in many Spanish-speaking countries.

The deep-fried snack or dessert fritter is made with ripe bananas, flour, baking powder, and sugar. You can encounter bunelos aga under a different name, like Chamorro banana doughnuts.

Estufao is a time-honored meat stew from Guam. It is the go-to main dish with steamed rice on many Guamanian tables.

People make estufao by simmering pieces of meat (like chicken, beef, or pork) with onions, potatoes, garlic, soy sauce, water, vinegar, and spices. The ingredient list varies from place to place, but soy sauce is a must.

Tamåles gisu is a Guamanian dough-based dish based on the classic Mexican tamales. It is famous for its half-white, half-reddish-orange appearance.

The unique hue of this tamale-like dish comes from the mix of cornmeal, annatto seeds, bacon (or chicken), garlic, onions, water, and spices. The meat usually goes with the red part, while the white part stays plain.

Unlike its Mexican cousin, tamåles gisu is wrapped in banana leaves or aluminum foil and made by steaming, not baking. Tamåles gisu is a popular side dish that adds color to the tables at Chamorro fiestas.