Costa Rica
Ask what Costa Rica eats and the answer starts with this: fresh, mild ‘pura vida’ fare of gallo pinto, casado lunch plates, and Caribbean coconut rondón. Look for Gallo pinto (rice and black beans with Lizano sauce; the daily start), Casado (lunch plate of rice, beans, plantain, salad, and a protein) and Olla de carne (beef and root-vegetable soup simmered all day). Rice and beans fried together and seasoned with Salsa Lizano; Costa Rica and Nicaragua dispute its origin and both treat it as breakfast. This atlas has 38 Costa Rica dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.
38 dishes.
Torta chilenaMany thin pastry layers stacked with dulce de leche between them
Vino de coyolSap tapped from the felled coyol palm, fermented in the trunk and drunk cloudy-
Chiliguaro
Shot of guaro with tomato juice, lime and hot sauce. Ready in 5 min prep and none cooking. 4 shots.…
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Chilera
Jar of carrot, onion, cauliflower and chile in vinegar, on every table. Ready in 25 min prep and 10 min…
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Chorreadas
Fresh corn pancakes griddled and topped with natilla or cheese. Ready in 20 min prep and 20 min cooking. About…
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Empanadas de chiverre
Pastry turnovers filled with stringy candied fig-leaf gourd jam. Ready in 1 hour prep and 40 minutes cooking. About 16…
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Fresco de cas
Sour tropical guava blended with water and sugar, served in a jug. Ready in 20 minutes prep and none cooking.…
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Gallos
Warm tortilla folded around a single filling and eaten in the hand. Ready in 30 min prep and 40 min…
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Guaro
Clear sugarcane spirit drunk in shots with lime and salt. A wine & spirit recipe from Costa Rica.
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Pan bon
Sweet spiced bun topped with cheese and fruit, from the Caribbean coast. Ready in 40 minutes prep and 40 minutes…
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Patacones
Twice-fried green plantain discs with salt, cheese or hogao. Ready in 15 min prep and 20 min cooking. 4 servings.…