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Costa Rica Food | Delicious and Lip Smacking

Costa Rica food is the result of a medley of various types of spices, sauces, oils and other ingredients used in different cuisines from the various corners of the world. For instance, the recipes of Costa Rica food are a combination of traditional characteristics of cuisines of Italy, China, Africa, Spain and France.

Again spices like annatto, oregano, nutmeg, pepper, coriander, saffron, thyme, etc., sauces like Worcestershire, soy, and Lizano, oils like vegetable oil and olive oil and ingredients like corn, sweet potatoes, cassava, beans, etc. are all used in Costa Rica food.

Popular Dishes of Costa Rica Food

Being a developing tourist destination the Costa Rica food has resulted from the blending of various types of cuisines. However, you will still find something called the typical or the original Costa Rica food.

The most popular Costa Rica food dishes are perhaps Gallo Pinto and Casados. The English translation of Gallo Pinto is ‘spotted rooster’ and that of Casados ‘married’. The former Costa Rica food dish is normally eaten for breakfast accompanied by eggs and coffee or the traditional Agua Dulce that is made of sugarcane sap mixed with hot water.

Gallo Pinto is made up of a mixture of rice and beans with a dash of Worcestershire sauce, coriander and onions. The latter Costa Rica food dish Casados is generally eaten for main meals. It is a preparation of rice and beans accompanied by steak, pork or chicken, a little bit of lettuce or cabbage with tomato salad and fried plantains.

Other Traditional Dishes

If you are thinking that the traditional Costa Rica food is all about just Casados and Gallo Pinto you may be completely wrong. There are several other delicious dishes that go in constituting the Costa Rica food. In Costa Rica food you will get options like pork stew called Frito, beef stomach soup called Mondongo, sticky rice called Arroz Guacho, string bean omelet known as Barbudos and various other preparations like pozole, Arroz con Pollo, Olla de Carne, higado en salsa, etc.

Besides these main course fares, Costa Rica food will also offer you drinks like Resbaladara that is made of barley and rice, Horchata – a drink made with cinnamon and ground rice and a corn cocoa drink called Pinolillo.

With regard to the more snack-like Costa Rica food called ‘tapas’ you will get items like Picadillo de Chayote con Elote that refers to a preparation of corn with minced vegetable pear, Platanos Maduros – the name given to ripe plantains that are fried, an item made with beef and minced string beans called Picadillo de Vainicas, and many more preparation like Platanos asados, Picadillo de Papaya Verde, Pejibayes, Picadillo de Vainacas, etc.

Costa Rica food does not forget about the dessert section. You will get a variety of desserts that are a part of Costa Rica food. There is the rice pudding called Arroz conleche, orange pound cake called queque seco, meringues called Suspiros, sweet white spaghetti Miel de Chiverre and other desserts like Torta Chilena, Tres Leches, Dulce de Leche, etc.

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