The Central American country of Costa Rica is one of the World’s top tourist destinations that offer endless adventures, breathtaking nature scenes, majestic volcanoes, pristine white-sand beaches and crystal clear waters.
And if you add the friendly people and the delicious local food into the mix, you are in for he most exciting vacation of your life.
What and where to eat while in Costa Rica? What the most widely served dishes and what makes the Costa Rican cuisine different? The first think you should know that the local food is simple, the meals are wholesome, the rice and beans can be found in almost every meal, and spices are not spared. However, most of the dishes can be described as mild, and very hot and spicy food can only be found in places that cater mainly for tourists; some dishes, spiced up with habanero chilies are served to the brave souls. You can buy local food from one of the thousands of Costa Rican exuberant restaurants found on the streets.
One typical Costa Rican dish is the “El casado” (“married”), is indeed a perfect marriage of beans, rice, fried plantains, salad, and meat that can be beef, chicken or fish. The name of the dish comes from the fact that this was the usual food that the wives were giving to their husbands every day, when they were leaving home for work. Another popular dish is the Gallo Pinto or gallopinto (“spotted rooster”), which is the country’s national dish and the main staple is a blend of beans and rice that you will get served with almost any meal that you order in Costa Rica. In most occasions you will get it for breakfast, served with meat and eggs, but the variations and the recipes are countless.
Costa Rican Cuisine
Other popular “tico food” are the different versions of Tamale wrapped in banana leaves with ingredients raging from pork, chicken, bacon, carrots, peas, potatoes, rice and sweet or spicy peppers, and inevitably corn dough. Most local families cook their tamales around Christmas, but many restaurants sell them all year round.
Many local stews and soups are absolutely delectable and not to be missed – Olla de Carne (beef soup), Sopa Negra (black beans soup), Modongo, Sopa de Albondigas (meatball soup), and Bacalao (Cod soup) are loved by the locals and the tourists alike. With 640 miles of coastline you can rest assured that seafood can be found in almost every restaurant in the big cities. The most popular seafood dishes are Corvina (sea bass), shrimps and lobster and fresh dorado, swordfish and pargo can be found along the coasts.
When it comes to desserts the most commonly served are Cajeta de coco (coconut fudge), Melcochas (sugar candies), Tapa dulce, and Dulce de Leche (milk and sugar syrop). Many exotic fruits and vegetables can be found in this tropical country: guavas, papayas, mangos, cantaloupe, pineapples, passion fruit, mamones, pejibaye (palm heart) are sold fresh, sometime off the farmer’s tracks.
‘Soda’ means ‘small restaurant serving typical cuisine.