Typical foods in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s economy thrives on tourism and the country is visited by millions of tourists annually. Situated in Central America, Costa Rica earns revenues in excess of $1.7 billion from the tourism industry.

One of the major attractions about the place is its food. Traditional platters are not overtly spiced and are primarily derived from Caribbean, South American and European influences. Most dishes are simple and contain the base of rural cooking in the form of rice and beans. The country is equally famous for its production of fresh fruits and vegetables and constituents of the squash family including zucchini, zapallo and chayote are specialties here.

There might be a thousand reasons as to why you would want to go to Costa Rica, but you may not know the biggest reason that can actually lure you there is “Gallo Pinto”. This is the most famous dish of this region and literally means “spotted rooster”. Brought to the country by Nicaraguan immigrants, ingredients of this dish contain rice, black or red beans, onions and coriander. A similar dish, again a favorite with tourists, is “Casado” containing the staple rice and beans, the only difference being that it is served with pork, chicken or steak and usually salad and fried plantains come with it.

The location of this country, between Pacific to the west and Caribbean to the west, ensures that seafood can be found in plentiful. A majority of dishes in Costa Rican

Cuisine makes use of seafood and the most popular happen to be fresh fish. Though priced on the higher side, foods with fish in them are a favorite among residents and even tourists. An inexpensive dish that is popular throughout the country is “gallos”, a food resembling a soft Mexican taco, which is served with interesting fillings to suit different taste buds.

If you do not want the entire experience to border only along food then Costa Rica also has enough to offer you to quench your thirst. “Horcheta” (cornmeal drink flavored with cinnamon), “Agua Dulce” (a sweet water based drink served at breakfast) and “refrescos” (a drink containing liquidized fruits mixed either with milk or water) are the most popular drinks on a local scale. With people preferring a tinge of intoxication to accompany their drink, Imperial and Bavaria are the best they will find in Costa Rica. Just to make it more memorable you can taste the local moonshine which goes by the name of “guaro”, a drink that contains sugar cane as its chief ingredient. Another local drink that you may be interested in is “Vino de Coyol”, found generally in the rural areas and made from the extracts of a spiny palm, can sometime give you a painful experience and tourists are advised to stay from it.

When in Costa Rica make sure that you try out every possible food item under the sun there.