Costa Rica Food

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Costa Rica food contains a lot of oil and many native dishes rely on rice and beans, which is the staple food in many homes. The national dish of fried rice and beans is a favorite breakfast food. The lunchtime menu also includes rice and beans, but with cabbage and tomato salad, fried plantains and meat to make a dish called casado. Vegetables do not make up a very large part of the diet of Costa Ricans and they do eat a lot of fried foods.

The main meats are beef, chicken and fish, but certain species of fish such as shrimp or lobster are expensive in restaurants because these species are usually exported. One good thing is that eating Costa Rica food will not cause the usual stomach problems that eating in other Central and South American countries sometimes causes. However, many of the pesticides normally used to kill insects are forbidden in Costa Rica. Tourists are usually warn to steer clear of eating black beans and chicharrones, because they may be too harsh for their stomachs.

There is no national drink included with Costa Rica food, but popular drinks include Horchata, a cinnamon flavoured corn meal, Chan, a slimy drink made from seeds, linaza, which is good for indigestion, and Fresco de Frata, a drink that seems more like a fruit salad than a drink. The alcoholic beverage of choice is the guaro, which is very potent. The coffee in Costa Rica is served very strong and is often mixed with rum.

You dont have to rush when eating Costa Rica food. Eating is a leisurely experience in Costa Rica with people spending hours over their meals. During Christmas, traditional food consists of tamal (corn flour dough stuffed with potatoes, vegetables and pork or chicken, then boiled in plantain leaves) pupusa (tortilla with cheese, corn and whatever); vigoron (cabbage, tomato, yucca and fried pork rind, served on a plantain leaf); and grilled pork, chicken and sausage.