Living in Costa Rica. A quick guide to typical Costa Rican cooking.
While most menus in Costa Rica have been (loosely and somewhat humorously) translated into English, you still might need a little more help to make an informed order.
When you see that a local restaurant or “soda” offers comida tipica or “Typical Food”, that means they likely serve, among other things, gallo pinto, casados, ceviche, patacones and batidos.
Gallo pinto, the traditional breakfast of Costa Rica, is a blend of rice, beans and usually other herbs and flavors such as chopped onion, bell pepper and cilantro.
While a common ingredient of “pinto”, you may choose to add a little more “salsa inglesa” or “salsa Lizano”, a non-spicy tangy dressing of sorts.
You will have the option to order this pinto with fried eggs (huevos fritos) or scrambled eggs (huevos revueltos or picados), but can also choose pollo (chicken), carne (beef), or salchicha (hot dog).
Try the queso frito or fried cheese and the maduros, sweet friend plantains with natilla (sour cream). A full breakfast of pinto, huevo, queso and maduros will usually cost around $5 USD.
For lunch and dinner try the casado commonly found for $4-7 USD. The casado always includes rice and beans, some kind of salad (green salad, pasta salad, or Russian beet salad), sweet plantains and your choice of pescado (fish), pollo (chicken), carne (beef), chuleta (pork chop) or even vegetariano (vegetarian).
It’s tasty, inexpensive and guaranteed to fill you up!
For a lighter option try ceviche, a refreshing seafood dish of either fish, shrimp, or mixed seafood cured in lime juice with finely chopped chile dulce (bell pepper), cebolla (onion), and culantro (cilantro) served cold with soda crackers and optional hot sauce.
Looking for snack to share or an appetizer? Try patacones with guacamole or refried beans. Patacones are made from sliced green plantains (before they turn sweet) and they’re fried, smashed and fried again and they’re simply delicious.
The best part of the Costa Rican diet is probably the fresh fruit blended juices or batidos. You pick from the fruits the restaurant has on hand and decide if you want it en leche (with milk) or en agua (with water).
It’s truly the most simple, refreshing, healthy smoothie around. They throw the fruit, water or milk, ice and a little sugar into the blender and you’ve got your batido. You can even ask them to hold the sugar as most fruits are sweet enough on their own.
Some of the restaurants use a fruit concentrate that is tasty, but not fresh. You can count on pineapple, banana and papaya being the real deal. Try those three mixed together and you’ll understand the magic of the batido.
If you find yourself in Playa Sámara and you want to find out what Costa Rican cuisine is all about, check out these local spots: Casa Esmeralda, Sol y Mar, Soda La Perla, Pablito’s Bar, Meli’s, Sheriff Rustic, and Jardín Marino.
They’re good for the belly and easy on the wallet. They have all been around for a very long time so ask any local and they can point you in the right direction.
Considering Your New Life in Samara, Costa Rica.
[custom_script adID=97]
Living in Costa Rica. A quick guide to typical Costa Rican cooking.
Article/Property ID Number 3793
Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
Are you into beautiful Costa Rica?
All interesting things you want to know about Costa Rica are right here in our newsletter! Enter your email and press "subscribe" button.
