Costa Rica: Food Edition
This post is all about everyone's favorite thing: food! Costa Rica cuisine is unique, simple, and tasteful. There's everything from classic meals, side dishes, drinks, and dessert included in this post, so get ready to learn lots of new information about how Costa Ricans like to eat!
First off, the fruit here is absolutely spectacular. I can never get enough of it- it's fresh and juicy, especially right off the tree. I've eaten both bananas and oranges directly off the tree while hiking through farms and it's incredibly delicious. In addition, I had never tried papaya before coming to Costa Rica and it's now one of my favorites!
The second picture is an interesting one- a meal of vegetarian tacos (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and cheese), with tartar sauce and plantain chips on the side. Plantains are a favorite here because there's so many different ways to make them, including fried, oven-baked, or grilled.
A classic dessert in Costa Rica, called arroz con leche, or 'rice with milk' is a great way to end any meal. It's quite easy to make- just boil milk and in a separate saucepan, boil water, rice, and cinnamon until rice is tender. Add the milk to the other mixture and it's ready!
Costa Ricans have a tendency to believe that vegetarian is the same thing as pescatarian. Therefore, I've been served fish over and over again during my time here. The fish in this meal was scrumptious though, so I didn't complain one bit about the fact that vegetarian and pescatarian are not equals. The fried plantains were delicious and obviously, the meal wouldn't be complete without the rice.
With such great fruit, you can expect the smoothies to be even better. Almost every restaurant sells some type of smoothie or tropical drink and they're always fantastic. If you're in the country, definitely stop at a roadside Cosechas for some great choices on smoothies- from ones with avocado and soy to ones with ice cream and chocolate.
Gallo pinto, or 'spotted hen' is the most basic meal of rice and beans in Costa Rica and no, it's not the same as 'rice-n-beans', which is a different meal - a mixture of rice, red beans, thyme, peppers, and coconut milk - mostly served on the Caribbean coast of the country. If you really want to have the Costa Rican take on gallo pinto, be sure to add some salsa lizano, the traditional smokey and tangy sauce found on every kitchen table.
During my last weekend in Santa Ana in February, I found myself at a festival downtown. I picked up some churros, a fried-dough pastry with cinnamon sugar. Although originating in Spain and Mexico, I've noticed that it's a popular snack for outdoor events such as festivals here in Costa Rica. While I bought an order of the original kind, the stand was also selling ones filled with chocolate or icing. It's definitely a snack I'll be making when I return to the States!
Now, to go eat dinner, since this post made me so hungry!
Stay Beautiful,
Sadie
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