The national dish of fried rice and beans gives a hint of the kind of cuisine you can expect from Costa Rica tourism. Gallo Pinto consists of fried rice and beans, and you will find many other dishes heavily favour rice and meat. Salsa Lizano is to Costa Rica as soy sauce is to Japan, while Chan and Rchata offer the chance to try drinks with a rather unusual consistency.

 

National Dish:

Gallo Pinto – fried rice and beans

Gallo Casado – ‘married’ / served with: coconut milk, cabbage, tomato salad, fried plaintains,

costa rica eats

Meat:

Chicharrón fried crispy pork

Olla de Carne beef stew

Chifrijo salsa and tortilla chips

Rice with chicken, Rice with tuna

costa rica eats

Sauce:

Salsa Lizano

 

Drink:

Fanta Kolita fruit punch, Rchata cinnamon cornmeal drink

Chan slimy seed drink

Fresco de frutas (fruit salad) floating on a base of cola and water,

Agua de Pipa (open coconut), Ginger Beer

 

Beer:

Pilsen, Imperial and Bavaria

costa rica eats

Spirits:

Cacique/Guaro sugarcane spirit, Aguadulce


Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC

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