The mixture of Spanish foods and indigenous elements, upon the arrival of the Europeans to the New World, became what we now know as traditional Costa Rican food. The country's cooking is recognized for its ample use of fruits, fresh vegetables, beef, abundant salads, rice and beans.
Your Typical Meal
Rice alone is one of the most important ingredients in many local dishes. Just so you get an idea, ticos eat rice and shrimp; rice and squid; rice and octopus; and in every festival and in some parties, rice and chicken. All of the dishes are very well seasoned and usually served in a natural tomato sause.
However, the gallo pinto is perhaps the most typical of all foods from this land. Made with black beans and rice, this mixture is well seasoned with onions and fresh coriander. Donīt be surprised, for it is served mainly for breakfast, with fried eggs, cheese, sour cream and tortillas on the side.
Picadillos are often present on Costa Ricanīs tables. Diced potatoes, chayotes (cho-cho or vegetable pears) or string beans are mixed with finely chopped meat, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, fresh coriander and whatever else might add more flavor to the preparation. They taste very good on a tortilla, in what is popularly know as gallos. Left over picadillos are mixed with rice and served for breakfast. This variation is called an amanecido.
The famous olla de carne can be traced back to Cervantes' master novel, Don Quixote. It is a hearty meat and vegetable stew, that contains: yucca, green platain, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, cho-cho, and other ingredients.
Sopa Negra is a very interesting soup, easy to get in traditional restaurants throughout the country. It is made whith black beans, onions, fresh coriander and a couple of hard boiled eggs. Itīs usually served with rice.
You will find casados listed in the menus in all seven provinces . The name literally means married men, and some say it derives from what a man should receive after he gets married. It consists of a combination of rice, beans, your choice of meat, chicken or fish, fried or scrambled eggs, spaghetti, some vegetable picadillo, fried sweet plantains, and a salad. Itīs all served by portions in a large plate. It is a great choice for those who want to sample many dishes at once.
When ticos go out at night for a drink, they usually consume the popular national beer. It is popular to accompany your drink with a boca or boquita, small portions of anything ranging from hot beef broth to small tamales, ceviche ( raw fish cooked in lime juice) or tortillas with cheese.
Nature comes alive
Many visitors are taken aback by the great variety of fruits that can be found, that sometimes they haven't even heart about. Here is a short list of the hundreds that you might be adventurous to try:
- Mombin - jocote. The tronador is the best variety. Itīs a juicy and spicy fruit, eaten from dark green to bright red, depending on its ripeness.
- Guava - guayaba. A wonderfully aromatic fruit, eaten fresh or used to make jelly.
- Costa Rican guava - cas. Yellow and round, with a soft white flesh. Itīs acidic for making drinks. You will probably see it in menus under naturales ( fresh fruit drinks), as fresco de cas ( cas juice).
- Rose apple - manzana rosa. Itīs a round fruit, whitish green to apricot yellow, perfumed with the true aroma of a rose. The flesh is crisp, juicy and sweet. If you try it, dont over do it; rose apples are meant to be eaten in small quantities.
- Mountain apple - manzana de agua. A relative of the rose apple, with an applelike flesh, crisp, white and juicy.
- Some others you will encounter are star apples ( caimitos); loquat ( níspero); nanzi ( nance); star fruit ( carambola ), among many more.
Be adventurous! Fruits are healthy and some of them, you wonīt easily find in the supermarkets. Enjoy them while you can, and experience everything this tiny, flavorful country has to offer.
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