Glossary F
Fruit Bat Soup refers to a Chamorro delicacy that is no longer available in the country. Fruit Bat Soup is said to be a dish which has a strong aroma and flavor influenced by whatever fruits the bats had been eating. However, fruit bats are already an species endangered in Guam, and just a small colony of fruit bats remains at the north end of the island, hence, anyone caught poaching is subject to a large fine and even a prison sentence.
The Chamorro people arrived on Guam from the Malay Peninsula around 3000 BCE, and they occupied the island alone until Ferdinand Magellan landed there in 1521. Having survived invasions by the Spanish, the Japanese and the Americans, they still comprise 43 per cent of the island's population, and they have managed to retain their cultural identity, including language, customs and cuisine.
Fruit cocktail is a combination of many different varieties of chopped fruits, sometimes served with Champagne or liqueur drizzled on top.