Continuing with my culinary recommendations that I am writing this week, today I would like to talk about the gastronomy of Costa Rica , a country where you can find countless places and activities of interest. Its cuisine is a tasty mixture of indigenous, Spanish and African cuisines, but also with elements from other European and Asian countries.
Among the indigenous ingredients are corn, beans , yucca, squash, chayote, augacate, peanut, cocoa, guava, sweet pepper, achiote or meliponini honey. All of them are part of numerous dishes. Its gastronomy is usually divided into 3 regions, the Central Valley, Guanacaste and Limón, the most important regions of the country and each has its own dishes but also others in common. Take note of the highlights of Costa Rican gastronomy:
– Gastronomy of the Central Valley : the most typical dishes are casado (boiled rice with beans and sweet banana that is garnished in meat or salads), gallo pinto (rice and black or red beans, also as a garnish or complement), rice with seafood, meat pot, patacones, corn tortilla or meatball soup.
– Gastronomy of Guanacaste : Meat is also very important here, barbecue grills being very popular anywhere in this region. Corn is also in numerous dishes such as pinolillo, corn atol, picadillo de chilote or perrerreques.
– Gastronomy of Limón : Its cuisine is a clear indigenous influence with contributions from the Jamaican and Chinese. Coconut, Panamanian chili peppers, bananas, tropical fruits, fish and chicken are widely used. Some of the most typical dishes are plantain tart (sweet empanadas with banana and coconut), rondón (fish soup with coconut milk) or chicken curry.
– Drinks : Very important in any gastronomy and that in this country the most popular in lunches and dinners is the so-called “fresco”, a drink that is made with fruits, water, sugar and ice. Guaro is the most popular liquor in the country (a kind of brandy) and the most popular beers are Lager and Pilsen. At Christmas, Rompope is usually drunk, a mixture of egg, vanilla, cinnamon, ground almond, sugar, milk and liquor.