Costa Rican cuisine is known for being mostly mild, with high reliance onfruits andvegetables.Rice andblack beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals, often served three times a day. Costa Rican fare is nutritionally well rounded, and nearly always cooked from scratch from fresh ingredients.[1] Owing to the location of the country, tropical fruits and vegetables are readily available and included in the local cuisine.
Owing to the contrast of Costa Rica's large tourist economy with the many rural communities throughout the country, the foods available, especially in the more urban areas, have come to include nearly every type of cuisine in addition to traditional Costa Rican dishes. Cities such as San José, the capital, and beach destinations frequented by tourists offer a range of ethnic foods, fromPeruvian toJapanese.Chinese andItalian food are popular with Costa Ricans (known locally asTicos;Tica is the feminine form), and can be found around the country, though with varying levels of quality.[2] Food is an important aspect of Costa Rican culture, and family gatherings and celebrations are often centered around meals.[3]
TheIndigenous peoples of Costa Rica, including the Chorotega, consumedmaize as a large part of their diet during the pre-Columbian era. Although modern Costa Rican cuisine is very much influenced by theSpanish conquest of the country, corn still maintains a role in many dishes. Tamales, originally introduced to all ofCentral America by theAztecs, are served at nearly all celebratory events in Costa Rica and especially atChristmas. They are made out of dough ofcornmeal,lard, andspices, stuffed with various mixtures ofmeat, rice, and vegetables and wrapped and steamed in aplantain orbanana leaf. The Chorotega native people prefer to stuff their tamales withdeer orturkey meat,pumpkin seeds,tomatoes, andsweet peppers.
TheCaribbean coast of Costa Rica comes with its own host ofAfro-Caribbean influenced traditions. During the holidays, it is common to find pork cracklings and a tripe soup calledmondongo. Rice and beans is a common dish on the Caribbean side, not to be confused withgallo pinto and other dishes containing rice and beans; this dish consists of rice and beans cooked incoconut milk and typically served withfish and some type of fried plantain.
Rice and beans are included in nearly every Costa Rican meal, especiallybreakfast.[2]Potatoes are another Costa Rican staple, part of the starch-richTico diet.[3]Pork andbeef are the most commonly eaten meats, but chicken and fish dishes are also widely available, especially on the Caribbean coast.
The plantain, a larger member of the banana family, is another commonly used fruit and can be served in a variety of ways. Ripe plantains (platanos maduros) have a sweet flavor and can be fried inoil, baked in ahoney or asugar-based sauce, or put insoups. Green (unripe) plantains can be boiled in soups or can be sliced, fried, smashed and then refried to makepatacones. These are often served with a bean dip orguacamole.[4]
Salsa Lizano was created in 1920 by a Costa Rican company called the Lizano company. During the past century, it has become a commoncondiment and element ofTico cooking in both households and restaurants all around the country. It has a tangy flavor and combines the following ingredients: water, sugar, salt, onions, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, pepper, mustard,turmeric, andmonosodium glutamate. Salsa Lizano is used in many Costa Rican dishes, includinggallo pinto andtamales. It is comparable toWorcestershire sauce.[citation needed]
Gallo pinto, which has a literal meaning of "spotted rooster", is the national dish of Costa Rica. It consists of rice and beans stir-fried together in a pan to create a speckled appearance.[2] It is usually served for breakfast along with scrambled or fried eggs and sour cream or cheese.[1] Seasonings in the mixture of rice and red or black beans include cilantro, red pepper, onion, celery, and Salsa Lizano.[4]Gallo pinto is also the national dish of neighboring countryNicaragua. There is controversy throughout both countries and their regions as to the perfect composition of beans, rice, and spices in this dish.Pinto, the term the locals use to refer to this dish, is available all over the country at affordable prices.
For lunch, the traditional meal is called acasado.Casado means "married man" in Spanish, acquiring the name from when wives would pack their husbands a lunch in a banana leaf when they left to go work in the fields.[3] It is asquare meal consisting of rice and beans served side-by-side instead of mixed. There will usually be some type of meat (beef, fish, pork chop, or chicken) and a salad to round out the dish. There may also be some extras like fried plantain (patacones ormaduro), a slice of white cheese or corntortillas in accompaniment.
At family gatherings or for special occasions, it is very common to preparearroz con pollo, which is rice with chicken mixed with vegetables and mild spices, and of course Salsa Lizano.
Bocas, orboquitas, are Costa Rican-styleappetizers, usually consisting of a small snack item or portion of a dish typically served at a main meal. These are available at most bars, taverns, and at large gatherings and parties.Patacones are a typicalboquita, along withgallos, or smallTico-styletacos consisting of beef, chicken, orarracache (a starchy vegetable) inside a warm corn tortilla.
Ceviche, sometimes spelledseviche, is a dish made up of raw fish andseafood that can includeoctopus,shrimp,shellfish,tilapia,dorado,dolphinfish andsea bass. The raw seafood is marinated in lemon juice, which "cooks" it by breaking down proteins. It is then mixed with seasonings such as fresh coriander (cilantro), onion, garlic, and chilis.
Chicharrón is fried, crispy pork, popular in bars and with locals.Chifrijo, a dish that has become popular since the 1990s, earned its name from its combination of the two foodschicharrón andfrijoles (beans). Accompanied with rice andpico de gallo, a fresh salsa, this snack is often served with tortilla chips.
Olla de carne, or "pot of beef", is a stew that comes from the Spanish influences in post-colonial era Costa Rica and contains beef,cassava (a starchy tuber used inTico cooking), potatoes, maize, green plantains,squash orchayote, and other vegetables.
Small snack stands or stores, calledsodas, often sell corn turnovers calledempanadas filled with ground beef, chicken, cheese, or a fruit mixture. Another popular snack or side dish isyuca frita, or friedyuca (cassava), comparable to fried potatoes but with a sweeter flavor.
Chorreadas are not as common as many other traditional dishes. They are corn pancakes and are served for breakfast with sour cream.
Coffee, already one of the largest exports of Costa Rica, is offered in nearly every restaurant and household in the country. Served black or with milk (known ascafé con leche), it is generally strong and of high quality.[2] It is traditionally brewed at home in achorreador.
Agua dulce is a commonTico drink, made oftapa de dulce (raw cane sugar, also calledpanela) dissolved in hot water. This drink is particularly common in the cooler highlands and surrounding mountains of the country.[4]
Frescos andbatidos are drinks made from fresh fruit and milk or water. Among the fruits used arepapaya,mango,watermelon,cantaloupe,pineapple,strawberry,blackberry, banana, carrot,tamarind,guanábana andcas, a sour fruit native to Central America.Horchata, the cornmeal and cinnamon drink that originated in Spain, can be found in the northwesternGuanacaste Province.[1] A holiday beverage of homemadeginger beer is found on the Caribbean side of the country, and is sometimes mixed with wine.[3]
Refrescos is the local name for bottled soft drinks, which are widely sold.[1] Most common brands are available, although in rural areas, vendors sometimes sell soft drinks in plastic bags, which are cheaper than cans or bottles.
Agua de pipa is a green coconut with a straw to drink the water found inside. Vendors, calledpiperos, typically walk around selling green coconuts in touristy areas, and when one is purchased, the vendor chops off the top with amachete and puts a straw into it.
A commonly used term in Costa Rican restaurants isagua con gas meaning "water with gas", or carbonated water. Water is generally potable in Costa Rica, but this is not guaranteed.[1]
In Costa Rica,beer is the most commonly consumed alcoholic drink.Imperial and Pilsen are the two most widely popular beers in the country. Imperial was founded in 1924, Pilsen in 1888. Imperial is known by the eagle on its label, which is emblazoned on shirts all over the country, and has a slightly lower alcohol content than Pilsen. Bavaria is another local beer, slightly more expensive and enjoyed by a smaller crowd.[1] Microbrews are also increasingly available in Costa Rica, including those made by the Costa Rica Craft Brewing Company.
Michelada is a popular beer in Costa Rica. While slightly different from the Mexicanmichelada, the Costa Rican one is a bit more simple. It is composed of fresh lime juice, beer, and salt around the rim of the glass.[5] It can be ordered at practically any restaurant orsodita and is very refreshing.Local hard liquors include rum,guaro, andcoffee liqueur. The most commonly served rums areRon Centenario, which is made in Costa Rica, and Nicaraguan rumFlor de Caña.Guaro is a strong-tasting hardliquor made fromsugarcane, similar tovodka. It is usually consumed in a mixed drink called aguaro sour, or by the shot. The government created the brand ofguaro calledCacique (meaning chieftain) in an effort to stop illegalmoonshine manufacturing.Café Rica is a locally produced coffee liqueur. There is also a traditional alcoholic beverage originally made by theChorotega people ofCosta Rica calledVino de Coyol (Coyol wine). It is made by fermenting the sweet, waterysap of thecoyol tree, a spinypalm.
Most Costa Rican desserts are made up of milk, corn, sugarcane, eggs, and/or fruit. In the province of Limón, a majority of the desserts are made from a coconut base as well as from fried plantains. In the province of Guanacaste, the main dessert ingredient is usually corn, while in the Province of Puntarenas it is primarily milk, coconut, and fruit.
One of the most common desserts istres leches, meaning "three milks" in English. It is a wet cake composed primarily of milk and sugar. The ingredients include whole milk, evaporated skim milk, sweetened condensed milk, as well as heavy cream, eggs, sugar, ground cinnamon, baking powder, vanilla extract, and dark rum.[6] It is available at many restaurants and is usually eaten after lunch or dinner.
Fruit salad is another popular dessert in Costa Rica. Some of the fruits typically used in this dish include fresh watermelon, mango, papaya, pineapple, and banana. [7]
A typical Christmas dessert isqueque navideño, or Christmas cake. It is similar to fruitcake and is made with dried fruit. It is a sweet and heavy dessert, which is usually soaked in rum for a few days before it is baked. However,Ticos often joke about getting drunk from the cake. Costa Ricans enjoy giving thisChristmas cake away to friends and families as gifts.[8]
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