The Food of Costa Rica
Many first time visitors of Costa Rica are surprised to find that the food in this country is very different from what they might have expected. Most people assume that the food will be similar to traditional Mexican and although rice and beans are the major staple here, the flavor and lack of spice is very different.
Costa Rican food has a naturally pure, light flavor without heavy sauces or strong spices. Many typical dishes use rice, black beans, onion, mild red pepper, garlic, cilantro, and a locally made cumin based sauce called Salsa Lizano, http://www.costaricanstore.com/index.php?productID=163. These very ingredients are combined for a hearty breakfast dish called Gallo Pinto. This is the most typical Costa Rican breakfast and can be enjoyed with a side of eggs, breakfast meat, plantains, or simply tortillas and sour cream.
The most typical dish for lunch or dinner in local restaurants is the “casado”, meaning “married”, which is a plate of black beans, steamed white rice, the meat of your choice, salad, and sometimes includes plantains or palmito (heart of palm). Another popular dish is Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice), or with any other meat, such as pork or shrimp, or a combination of all. This delicious dish seems to be a favorite with everyone and is the most representative of the flavors of Costa Rica.
With the abundance of fresh produce available, it is easy and inexpensive to enjoy a vegetarian or vegan diet here. Most larger towns have farmer’s markets to explore and find the freshest fruits and vegetables at the lowest prices. One deliciously healthy treat offered in most every restaurant is refrescos, a natural fruit drink, which is your favorite fresh fruit blended with milk or water to a smoothie-like consistency.
Costa Rica also offers some of the best restaurants with cuisine from all over the world, which is reflective of the diversity of the people that live here. It is easy to find the flavors you crave with high quality service, for an enjoyable, and usually unforgettable, dining experience.
Tags: costa rica, cuisine, farmers markets, food, restaurants
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:32 am
I have to agree with the statement about the food being a complete surprise. I have been traveling to Mexico for over thirty years and just took my first extended stay trip to Costa Rica this year. I absolutely loved the food. Nothing like Mexican cuisine, in fact it was actually hard to find jalapeno peppers. I ate everything from sushi to gourmet meals and never once did I have a meal that I didn’t like. The people are very friendly in Costa Rica, in fact we hooked up with a fella who was a cab driver and lived very close to the house that we rented and when it was time for us to go back to the states he drove us from Playa Grande to the Liberia airport. Once we arrived at the airport he was asking us to please come back and visit again and hugged us and then ran over to his car and scrambled around looking for some paper and a pen so he we could exchange information. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and the people take pride in it. It is a breath of extremely fresh air compared to anywhere I have ever been in Mexico.