Costa Rica Food becomes very important as you are in Costa Rica. When you are traveling in Costa Rica, or even retiring there, you’ll want to start off by knowing what types of foods you will be encountering.
Costa Rica Food is very simple, but at the same time, there are lots of spices and oils that are used, so often the food can be very heavy. The most native of the dishes heavily rely on rice and beans. These are the basis of many of the meals that are cooked in Costa Rica, and will make up most of the Costa Rica Food that you enjoy.
Most of the time, Costa Rica Food is made by home cooking, so you might feel like you are back at your dining room table. However, even though the meals are all made from scratch, they are, for the most part, reasonably priced and are quite wholesome as well.
The national dish is Gallo Pinto, which is fried rice and black beans. This is often served as a breakfast food. It is also called the Famed Rice ‘n’ Beans of the Caribbean, when it is made with coconut milk. Most of the other meals are derivatives of Gallo Pinto, like Arrozo con Pollo or Arrozo Con Atun.
The Gallo Pinto changes at lunch time, and becomes Casado, which is the rice and beans supplemented with tomato and cabbage salad, as well as fried plantains and often meats. For most people, vegetables do not serve as a major part of the Costa Rica Food that they eat. Most of the time, Costa Rica Food is fried, so when you are going to dinner somewhere remember that you will most likely be eating fried Costa Rica Food.
The staples of the Costa Rica Food include fish, as well as beef and chicken. Even though there are more than 1,000 kilometers of coastline, seafood ends up being very expensive because most of the Costa Rica Food that is exported to other countries is its sea food. Most of the citizens who are eating Costa Rica Food on a regular basis do not eat much seafood, unless they can afford to pay the high costs.
If you have a small budget for food, the best thing to do is to have the Casado on the lunch menus, or else the Plato Del Dia, which will usually have more varied ingredients.
For the most part, eating Costa Rica Food does not present any possibilities for health problems, unlike eating food that is served elsewhere in Central America. However, it is important to note that often Costa Rica Food is comprised of food that has been treated with pesticides that are not permitted to be used in other areas of the world.
A good way to find a place to eat for your Costa Rica Food is to judge the restaurants by the amount of local people who are there. If you are eating where the locals are eating, and if you are eating what the locals like to eat, you’ll have meals that are the safest and also that present you with the best idea of the types of foods that are very popular in Costa Rica. Often the black beans and Chicharrones might be too much for sensitive or foreign stomachs, so take care when ordering food that contains those items.
Drinking in Costa Rica is different than finding Costa Rica Food. There is no real national drink, but the Horchata is a very popular drink with a strong cultural tradition. It is a cinnamon flavored cornmeal drink. Also, Chan is a drink that is made out of seeds, which is usually slimy. Linaza is a drink that is often used to cure indigestion, and Fresco de Frutas is a fruit drink, which usually resembles a full fruit salad floating in Kola and water.
Costa Rica Food can be one of the most exciting parts of traveling in Costa Rica. Trying new things and learning about cultural traditions is often one of the best parts of being in another place. Therefore, don’t be afraid to try something new, and enjoy the Costa Rica Food that you will be able to eat while you are there!
Related links:
Retire in Costa Rica, where your pension goes further!
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