La Comida de Costa Rica

¿Dónde está? (Where is it at?)

La comida de Costa Rica Costa Rican cuisine is known for being flavorful, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh vegetables are a primary ingredient in most main dishes, and members of the squash family are particularly common. These include varieties such as: calabacín, zapallo, chayote, and ayote.zapallochayoteayote Potato, onion, sweet red pepper, corn on the cob, yuca, ñampi, and camote are other common ingredients. These vegetables are often used in soups (sopas) which are usually made with beef or pork ribs as a base.

Calabacín (zucchini)

Zapallo o Calabaza (Pumpkin)

Chayote (chayote)

Ayote (squash)

Yuca (yuca) A potato-like root vegetable

Ñampi (ñampi) This hairy root vegetable looks somewhat like a potato. However, the flavor is nutty and very earthy. Some people say that it tastes more like an nut than a vegetable.

Camote (sweet potato)

The main staple, known as gallo pinto, consists of rice and black beans.gallo pinto

Quiero comer un casado For lunch, the traditional national dish is called a casado. It again consists of rice and beans served side by side instead of mixed. There will usually be some type of meat (carne asada, fish, pork chop, or chicken) and a salad to round out the dish.casadocarne asada

Me gustaría la salsa lizano Salsa Lizano is one of the most common condiments and is a popular ingredient in cooking various dishes, including gallo pinto. Salsa Lizano Think the Costa Rican equivalent of Ketchup

¿Podría darme el arroz con pollo? In many family gatherings or for special occasions it is very common to prepare Arroz con Pollo (rice with chicken) accompanied with a Russian Salad, a salad made with beets, potatoes, hard boiled eggs and mayo. These two dishes are very popular in Costa Rican cuisine.Arroz con Pollo

Plátano grande 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 (maduro) have a sweet flavor and can be fried in butter, baked in a honey or a sugar- based sauce, or put in soups. Green (unripe) plantains can be boiled in soups or can be sliced and fried to make patacones.

Otros Platos (Other dishes) patacones with black bean dip chimichurri (a sauce of tomatos, onions, and herbs pickled in lime juice) accompanied with tortilla chips chifrijo (rice and beans with chicharrones, which are fried pork skins, and chimichurri) ceviche (fish and/or shrimp with onions, peppers, and lime juice) vigorón (cabbage, chimichurri, and yucca served with a slice of lime).

Cáfe y Plátanos Coffee and bananas are the two main agricultural exports of the country and also form part of the local cuisine. Coffeebananas

Refrescos The traditional drinks for lunch are called refrescos or frescos for short and consist of liquefied fruits diluted in either water or milk and sweetened to taste. They come in many varieties such as melon (melón), blackberry (mora), strawberry (fresa), watermelon (sandía), mango (mango), tamarind (tamarindo), passion fruit (maracuyá), and lemon or lime (limón o limón verde).

Pastel de Tres Leches Also called Three-Milk Cake, the national dessert of Costa Rica is a dense, moist cake topped with a cloud of vanilla whipped cream. What makes it unusual is that after baked, it is perforated and soaked in a mixture of three different milk products: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk or heavy cream, hence the name Tres Leches. The three milks, when combined, create just the right sweetness, density and "mouth feel" for a rich cake, making it moist but not mushy. The cake is like one big giant sponge soaking up the delicious milk syrup.