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When people think of Central American food the mind usually wanders to the fiery cuisine of Mexico. But this region has culinary delights beyond fajitas and tacos. Costa Rica, for example, may traditionally be associated with one dish: gallo pinto, a popular dish centred around rice and beans. But a culinary revolution in this culturally rich nation has seen it stake its claim as the foodie hotspot in Central America.
Like with many Latin-infused countries, Costa Rican cuisine is intimately connected with family, tradition and home. Rich, unpretentious dishes such as olla de carne, an invigorating and hearty soup, typifies the kind of food that a typical grandmother would whip up – not just the fancy restaurants.
Young chefs and emerging restaurants are now reviving their grandmother’s recipes and forging a culinary identity beyond gallo pinto. From pork tamales – corn dough and a spicy filling wrapped in a banana leaf – to braised pork belly with annatto seeds, bright young restaurateurs and street food sensations are looking to the past to shape Costa Rica’s culinary identity in the future.
Here are a few of our favourite dishes you must try when on your Costa Rica tour.
What is the typical food of Costa Rica?
The basis of many Costa Rican dishes includes rice and beans. These ingredients are abundant and cheap, and are a great way to bolster a meal with healthy carbs and fibres. You’ll also see potatoes used in many dishes for the same reasons.
Pork and beef are the most commonly eaten meats in the country, making them a staple ingredient in Costa Rican cuisine, but chicken is also very common.
Costa Rica’s most famous dish is Gallo Pinto, which means spotted rooster, and it’s a plate filled with white rice and red or black beans, traditionally served for breakfast.
How is Costa Rican food different from Mexican food?
The main difference between Costa Rican food and Mexican food is that the former is not as spicy as the latter. And while both cuisines make use of rice and beans, Costa Rican cuisine usually incorporates more fresh fruits and vegetables into the mix as well, whereas Mexican cuisine focuses more on different sauces to accompany each dish, as well as other nuances in the food.
What is the main meal of the day in Costa Rica?
The biggest and most important meal of the day in Costa Rica is generally considered to be lunch. Breakfast and dinner are important as well, of course, but Costa Rican people will never miss lunch – no matter how busy their work day gets!
What is the most popular dessert in Costa Rica?
We’ll get into more details about delicious Costa Rican desserts below, but to sate your appetite a little, we’ll tell you about the mouthwatering Tres Leches. A sponge cake soaked in three types of milk (evaporated, condensed, and heavy cream) is topped with whipped cream and sometimes maraschino cherries or cinnamon and voilà! It’s creamy and rich and just pure decadence.
Tres leches is a popular dessert throughout Latin countries, but it’s widely considered Costa Rica’s national dessert.
Image source:Natalie Behn / unsplash
Street food
1. Chorreadas
Plain and simple, Chorreadas are corn pancakes which you can find served practically everywhere. Street corners, market stalls, festivals, etc. Made with fresh ground corn (NOT corn flour!) and milk, the dough is cooked in a very similar way to pancakes which makes them super easy to make at home if you fancy. You can eat them sweet or savoury with a variety of different toppings, though the most common are honey, butter, or sour cream.
2. Taco Tico
Costa Rican tacos are more like Mexican taquitos, made up of long and thinly rolled corn tortillas, stuffed with beef and served with shredded cabbage, fries, and a ketchup-mayo mix. It’s quick and easy, fried for some crisp, and perfect for a pick-me-up on the street.
3. Ceviche
A dish known all around South America, ceviche is refreshing and acidic and mouthwatering. Raw fish is marinated in lime juice which effectively cooks it, and then fresh tomatoes and onions and sometimes pineapple are added for some colour and flavour. Enjoy with chips!
Image source:Yasmine Duchesne / unsplash
4. Arroz con Pollo
Translating to rice with chicken, that’s exactly what this dish is! Simple and hearty, arroz con pollo can be found all over Latin America and it’s perfect when you’re dipping from one Costa Rican National Park to another. Tomato paste, olive oil, garlic, sometimes red peppers, and a few mild spices are tossed together with the chicken and rice making it very easy to cook and eat.
You can have this as a main or as a smaller portion for a little snack – perfect.
5. Empanada
A staple street food, you really can’t go with an empanada. It’s no surprise that many cultures around the world have their own version of the meat-filled dough pocket (England’s Cornish pasties or Japanese gyozas, for example). In Costa Rica, empanadas are made with cornmeal dough and filled with black beans, chorizo, and cheese. They’re then fried – so it’s not the healthiest snack in the world, but damn good anyway.
Main dishes
1. Tamales
You’ll find tamales in Mexico, but the Costa Rican version is a different beast. A lot lighter on the spice, Costa Rican Tamales are rich with garlic and herbs, and wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks. Filled with pork shoulder, peppers and coriander, the tamales are wrapped, steamed and served with delicious tamarind sauce.
2. Chifrijo
Chifrijo is a perfect example of how Costa Rican cuisine can take a staple like frijoles (beans) and jazz it up with delicious, crispy fried pork rinds served with tortilla chips, tomatoes, avocado and pico de gallo. It’s a serious bowlful that will keep you filled up throughout the day.
3. Gorditas
Gorditas means ‘little fat ones’ which is a really adorable name to be honest, and the dish itself is just as enchanting. Similar to Mexican Gorditas, they’re made with fried corn cakes and topped with fried black beans, a fried egg, avocado slices, cheese, salsa, and coriander. Pop them in your mouth and enjoy all that goodness.
4. Olla de Carne
Part beef stew, part soup, Olla de Carne is all parts wonderful. What makes Costa Rican cuisine so vibrant is the country’s abundance of fresh ingredients. Locally grown carrots, corn, plantains and taro root mix with poached slices of beef for a hearty and invigorating bowl unlike anything you’ve ever tasted before.
5. Rondón
This dish is for the seafood lovers out there as Rondón is a classic fish and coconut stew. Usually made up of an amalgamation of ingredients left over in the week, you can just toss anything you want in the pot and cook it all down. You might find red snapper, clams, mussels, or even sea snails, accompanied by green plantains and chiles, with a side of coconut rice. Hearty and warm, it’s a perfect pre-fridge-stock-up meal!
Desserts
1. Arroz con Leche
Fancy something sweet? You could describe Arroz con Leche as a Costa Rican take on a rice pudding, but it’s so much more than that. Rice and milk are delicately mixed with sugar, salt, lemon zest and cinnamon sticks for a subtle, delicate and beautifully layered dish that is so, so much better than the milky mulch you used to have as a kid.
2. Tropical fruits
There’s really nothing as refreshing and naturally sweet as a bowl of fresh fruit – and Costa Rica has that in abundance! Fresh acidic pineapple, syrupy mangoes, vibrant papayas, passion fruits, and so many more are just the tip of the Costa Rican fruit iceberg, and they’re unlike anything you’ll get in the West, that’s for sure.
3. Copo
One thing you’ll always find on a Costa Rican beach (apart from totally immaculate vibes) is Copo, aka shaved ice. Shaved ice in Costa Rica is no joke, and the toppings are insane. Take ice – of course – and then add milk powder, flavoured syrups, fresh fruit, and marshmallow, and here you have a sweet and refreshing treat for your beach days. Different places will have different toppings on offer of course, and you just can’t go wrong with any of them. So make sure to indulge.
4. Melcochas de Natilla
These bite-sized delights are a large part of Costa Rican culture as they’re primarily eaten during the annual festival dedicated to them! These little candies are made with sour cream, sugar, and Costa Rican natilla (a sort of custard) and it takes expert craftsmanship to twist and shape them before they harden. We’d recommend just letting them melt on your tongue so you can prolong the goodness.
5. Budin
It seems every country has their own take on bread pudding, and Budin is Costa Rica’s entry to the list. Born from the need to save old bread, Budin sees the bread salvaged with cow’s milk, coconut milk, nutmeg, raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar, eggs, butter, and salt. It’s stodgy and sweet, and usually locals drizzle some kind of brandy-cream on top for an extra bit of unctuousness.
Budin is a Christmas staple in Costa Rica, though it can of course be enjoyed the rest of the sunny year as well.
