Costa Rican Food: 31 Popular Dishes + 5 Secret Recipe Tips
Diana Barkley
(Senior Editor)
Nestled between two oceans and embraced by lush rainforests, mountains, and volcanoes, Costa Rica is nothing short of a culinary odyssey – each dish a testament to its diversity, resilience, and cultural mosaic. Join us as we walk through the traditional dishes and indigenous ingredients of Costa Rica.
From the tantalizing aromas of gallo pinto to the exotic taste of tropical fruits, Costa Rican food draws a beautiful symphony of the country’s culinary landscape.
It’s proof that beyond the sun-drenched beaches and coffee plantations of the Latin American country, there’s an assortment of flavors waiting to be discovered.
Traditional Costa Rican Cuisine – More Than Rice and Beans
Traditional Costa Rican Cuisine – More Than Rice and Beans
Rice and beans are insanely popular in Costa Rica. You’ll find them in almost every main dish in the country, and sometimes even in salads. But is that it? No.
Costa Rican food transcends rice and beans and draws a beautiful image of the country’s cultural diversity. Let’s explore the popular dishes of the Latin American country.
Most Popular Street Food in Costa Rica
Most Popular Street Food in Costa Rica
You can eat at Costa Rican restaurants all you want, but unless you stroll the country’s streets and try every street food there is, you won’t get the full experience. Here’s a rundown of must-try street foods in Costa Rica.
Vigoron
Vigoron
Vigoron is an originally Nicaraguan dish that made its way across the borders to Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans apparently loved it because it’s now one of the most common street foods in the country.
The main ingredients of Vigoron are cabbage, green plantains, and boiled cassava topped with chimichurri sauce. It’s often served in plantain leaves for an earthy kick. Though Vigoron is common throughout Costa Rica, you’ll find it more in Puantarenas.
Chop Suey
Chop Suey
Chop Suey is the Costa Rican version of chow mein. It’s made of noodles and either chicken, beef, or seafood. Then, it’s seasoned with Salsa Lizano and plenty of spices.
It’s a staple dish in all Costa Rican street festivals and local markets. It’s often served in a plastic container with a fork, so you can stroll around the festival as you enjoy the flavor bomb.
Costa Rican Taco
Costa Rican Taco
We know tacos are exclusively Mexican, but Costa Rican tacos are a thing, and they’re worth trying. Like Mexican tacos, Costa Rican ones are made of corn tortillas, but instead of serving them fresh, they’re stuffed with ground beef and fried.
Then, they’re covered in shredded cabbage, French fries, and a lot of sauce.
Empanadas
Empanadas
Empanadas are a common street food in Costa Rica, mostly found alongside the road, at bus stops, or at stoplights. These half-moon pockets serve as a perfect midday snack for Costa Ricans.
Empanadas are made of flour-based dough and stuffed with chiverre squash, a native Latin American fruit that looks a bit like a pumpkin minus the bright orange color. They can also have a savory stuffing, often made from chicken, beef, or fish with a bunch of vegetables.
Agua Dulce
Agua Dulce
The Costa Rican folks love their coffee, and because kids can’t have that much caffeine, they drink Agua Dulce instead – a sweet beverage that’s as basic as they come, made only from hot water and sugar.
Agua Dulce is especially common during Costa Rican winters, where a hot beverage is necessary in the middle of the day.
To make the Costa Rican drink, you cut small pieces of tapa de dulce and boil them in hot water. If you want to enjoy it in the street instead, you can find Agua Dulce in local cafes and bus stop shacks.
Arroz Cantones
Arroz Cantones
Arroz Catones is the Costa Rican version of the Chinese fried rice. It’s actually believed to have originated from the Chinese settlers of the Pacific coast. The settlers left Costa Rica, but the Arroz Cantones stayed, and it’s still a popular lunchtime meal served in San Jose’s streets and festivals.
Arroz Cantones isn’t only fried rice – it includes plenty of additional ingredients, including garlic, onion, green beans, soy sauce, chopped chicken breasts, and Salsa Lizano.
Costa Rican Food in the World
Costa Rican Food in the World
Costa Rica’s traditional food includes plates from all over the world, namely China, Spain, Italy, and some parts of Africa – no thanks to the long years of colonization the country went through.
Despite the various influences, the Costa Ricans adapted their food to fit their own taste and later delivered it to the rest of the world.
Some of the Costa Rican dishes that are popular in other areas of the world are gallo pinto, rondon soup, picadillos, and chorreadas. Picadillos are popular in the Philippines, Cuba, and Mexico, while gallo pinto is loved by many in Panama, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.
How Healthy Costa Rican Food Is
How Healthy Costa Rican Food Is
If there’s anything to learn about Costa Rican folks, it’s that they follow a pretty balanced diet. Their breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes have just the right amounts of fat, protein, and carbs.
Plus, they don’t use salt excessively. In fact, if you’re a fan of salty food, you’ll likely have to add salt to everything you taste there.
Most popular Costa Rican plates include rice and beans, which offer a high nutritional content and a low-calorie count. On top of that, most plates don’t include fried foods – the Costa Ricans prefer their food stewed.
Unlike other countries, Costa Rica’s cuisine cuts back on meat, instead replacing it with healthier vegetarian alternatives.
In fact, most dishes include a variety of veggies, increasing the nutritional value of the food. All in all, Costa Rican food can be considered healthy. Though we wouldn’t go as far as saying that it’s the healthiest, it’s definitely healthier than American cuisine.
Famous and Popular Costa Rican Dishes You Have to Try
Famous and Popular Costa Rican Dishes You Have to Try
Bordered by the Caribbean Sea from the northwest and the Pacific Ocean from the southwest, Costa Rica’s biodiversity is hard to match.
Thanks to the unique ecosystem that the country boasts, it has a mind-blowing assortment of popular dishes, from exotic seafood to some basic dishes like rice and beans.
Here’s a roundup of the most popular Costa Rican dishes.
Gallo Pinto
Gallo Pinto
If you’re visiting Costa Rica soon, the first dish you should look for is Gallo Pinto – we’re talking first day’s lunch. You don’t want to miss the chance to eat it twice, so it’s better to taste it early on in your trip.
Gallo Pinto is essentially rice and beans, which may sound basic if it was any other country than Costa Rica. But thanks to the Latin country’s one-of-a-kind cuisine, the dish is seasoned with all sorts of spices, making it a flavor bomb.
It’s mostly served with onions, peppers, and cilantro for seasoning. Sometimes, the dish is served with fried plantains or fried eggs.
Casado
Casado
Casado is basically the lunch version of desayuno típico, a traditional Costa Rican breakfast platter. It’s a bit similar to Gallo Pinto in the sense that it consists mainly of beans and rice. However, Casado is often served with a bunch of sides, creating a platter.
The plate is often served with a side of meat, fish, or chicken. Meanwhile, the other sides may include different types of salads, fried plantains, and corn tortillas.
Chifrijo
Chifrijo
Are you taking a break midday in Costa Rica and want to refuel? That’s the right time for a snack plate of Chifrijo – a popular plate of taco salad that’s often served at bars and diners.
Instead of traditional taco salad ingredients, Chifrijo often includes beans, rice, fried chicken or fish, and sliced avocado.
Restaurants often serve it topped off with Salsa Lizano, a favorite Costa Rican sauce.
Ceviche
Ceviche
Although Ceviche originated in Peru and Ecuador around colonial times, it’s now a popular dish throughout Central and South America, and it’s one of the must-try dishes in Costa Rica.
Despite the many different versions of Ceviche – sebiche, cebiche, or seviche -, the plate maintains its basic ingredients in almost all countries. It’s made of fish marinated in seasonings and citrus.
In Costa Rica, Ceviche is made using white sea bass, and it’s often marinated in lime juice, cilantro, bell pepper, and onion. It’s a popular beach snack, so you’ll likely find it in shacks and bars near beaches.
Chorreadas
Chorreadas
Chorreadas are a staple breakfast dish in Costa Rica. They’re sweet corn pancakes, and the right way to enjoy them is to have them with a cup of coffee in the morning. Unlike other pancakes, chorreadas aren’t served with syrup because they’re already sweet as it is.
The main ingredients of chorreadas are milk, butter, vanilla, sweet corn, flour, eggs, and sugar. Sometimes, the pancakes are served with sour cream to add a kick to the taste.
Tamales
Tamales
Tamales are more of a tradition than a popular meal in Costa Rica. During Christmas in the country, you prepare your tree, get everyone gifts, and eat tamales.
Though the dish originates from the indigenous people of Guatemala and Mexico, it’s now a Christmas staple in most Latin American countries.
Tamales are basically ground beef blended with sweet peas, bell peppers, carrots, and cornmeal. Those ingredients are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed, releasing the moisture and resulting in a pretty juicy snack.
Soups & Salads
Soups & Salads
Simplicity and freshness are the main ingredients in every Costa Rican dish, and the popular soups and salads in the country are excellent proof of that.
The good news is, most of them only need basic ingredients and are easy to make, so you can try them even when you get back home.
Sopa Negra
Sopa Negra
You can’t visit Costa Rica without having a taste of its most popular soup dish: Sopa Negra. Or, in other words, black bean soup. The soup is made of blended black beans, bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, oregano, and onion. It’s seasoned with salt and pepper and served with white rice.
Some restaurants add carrots and diced potatoes to the ingredients, and some versions of it have a side of protein. Because it’s so filling, Sopa Negra is often served for lunch or dinner in Costa Rican restaurants.
Pozole Soup
Pozole Soup
If you prefer your soups with some meat, you’ll love Pozole soup, which is a staple dish for festive occasions and family gatherings in Costa Rica.
The soup is often made of chicken or beef, an assortment of veggies, and some cumin, garlic, pepper, and oregano. The vegetables may include corn, yuca, or potatoes – depending on the restaurant’s chef.
Before serving, Costa Ricans thicken their Pozole soup with masa, a ground corn dough, which results in a hearty, satisfying texture.
Rondón
Rondón
Because it’s originally a Jamaican soup, Rondón is a popular dish on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica. It’s full of filling ingredients straight out of the Caribbean cuisine, including shellfish, onions, garlic, bell pepper, and plantains.
The soup is seasoned using curry, ginger, bay leaves, and spicy chile, and it’s made with coconut milk to dampen the spicy edge of the ingredients.
Ensalada Rusa
Ensalada Rusa
We’re done with soups; now let’s see the salads. Ensalada Rusa is a potato salad with a Costa Rican kick. Its main ingredients are cooked potatoes, carrots, onions, and beets. Then comes the seasoning, which consists of salt, pepper, finely chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery.
Most restaurants serve this salad with mayonnaise sauce and a side of boiled eggs. It takes some while to make, so it’s not a common everyday salad; Costa Ricans mostly make it on special occasions.
Starters, Sandwiches, Sides
Starters, Sandwiches, Sides
Do you know when you’re too hungry for a snack and not hungry enough for lunch? That’s the right time for the three Ss: starters, sandwiches, and sides.
Here’s an assortment of Costa Rican side dishes.
Pati
Pati
Pati is a common Costa Rican street food that you’ll have no hard time finding – it’s served everywhere from cafes and restaurants to street shacks.
If you’ve never heard of it, Pati is a fried beef patty that’s served in wheat flour dough or cornmeal. It’s cooked with potatoes, onions, and plenty of spices that give it its savory flavor. It’s the best alternative for sandwiches, and it makes for an excellent midday snack.
Patacones
Patacones
Patacones, or fried plantains, are a pretty popular snack in Costa Rica. They’re crispy and golden on the outside and soft and fleshy on the inside – you don’t want to miss that.
Patacones are often served alongside main dishes, like Cassado and Gallo Pinto. They may be topped with lemon juice, chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, mashed beans, ground beef, or chicken.
As for the sauce, it’s either guacamole, tomato sauce, or mayonnaise. As you can see, it’s a pretty versatile snack dish that can be altered to fit different tastes.
Salchipapa
Salchipapa
If you can’t help but crave hot dogs even in Costa Rica, you’ll love Salchipapa. The popular Costa Rican snack is a mix of chopped hot dogs and French fried that’s eaten using toothpicks.
It’s usually served with basic condiments like ketchup or mayo. Or, if you want to have the authentic Costa Rican experience, you can have it with Salsa Rosada.
Enyucados
For a starter dish, Enyucados are pretty filling. You may find yourself full after eating a couple of these savory snacks. If the term is unfamiliar to you, Enyucados are basically fried yucca balls.
The way they’re made, the yucca roots are peeled, finely chopped, and mixed with some mozzarella cheese. Then, they’re formed into balls and fried until golden.
You can have Enyucados with different dipping sauces like Salsa Rosada or fresh salsa. They’re served by most street markets in Costa Rica.
Mains
Mains
We’re done with soups, starters, and snacks – now let’s get to the exciting part: the main dishes.
Picadillo
Picadillo
If you’ve been to other Latin American countries, you probably heard of or even tried Picadillo.
It’s a popular vegetarian dish that consists of a bunch of stewed vegetables, like green beans, carrots, plantains, arracachas, and potatoes. Some people also make it with the addition of ground beef for a side of protein.
Most restaurants serve Picadillo with a side of white rice and corn tortillas. It’s also sometimes used as empanadas stuffing.
Arroz Con Pollo
Arroz Con Pollo
Only an exotic country like Costa Rica can make something as basic as chicken rice taste so wonderful. Arroz Con Pollo is a famous main dish in the country – brought down to its essence, it’s only chicken and rice.
However, when made with garlic, bell pepper, celery, carrots, and onion, and served with ensalada rusa and mashed beans, Arroz Con Pollo becomes an authentic Costa Rican dish that’ll have your taste buds happy.
Pastel De Yuca
Pastel De Yuca
A fan of pies? You’ll love this one. Pastel de Yuca, or cassava pie, is a main dish with a simialr concept to lasagna. It looks the same as lasagna, but it doesn’t include any pasta sheets. Instead, it’s made with mashed cassava.
The layers of Pastel de Yuca are usually shredded meat, fresh salsa or tomato sauce, and a savory topping of cheese.
Olla de Carne
Olla de Carne
Apparently, the Costa Ricans love stews, and so it shows. Olla de Carne is one of the most popular Costa Rican dishes; it’s a beef stew that’s made with an assortment of veggies.
You may have it with potatoes, corn, cassava, squash, sweet potatoes, or even pumpkin. It looks more like a soup, but it’s served alongside white rice and some chopped lemons for a citrusy edge.
Bistec Encebollado
Bistec Encebollado
If you’re a fan of steak, you shouldn’t leave Costa Rica without having Bistec Encebollado – though you should know it’s originally a Puerto Rican dish that made its way across borders.
It’s not served like your usual steak. Instead, the meat is cut into thin strips and cooked with some caramelized onion and garlic.
Bistec Encebollado is often served with black beans and white rice – two staple Costa Rican foods.
Bread, Pastries, Dessert
Bread, Pastries, Dessert
While Costa Rican cuisine shines in the area of main dishes, it doesn’t skimp on bread, pastries, and desserts for people with a sweet tooth.
Corn Tortillas
Corn Tortillas
Corn Tortillas come at the top of the list as the most popular Costa Rican pastries. Whether you’re eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner in the Latin American country, you’ll likely find corn tortillas served with your dish – it’s easily the most common food in the country.
You can eat corn tortillas alone or stuffed. They’re mostly served with rice and bean dishes, and you may find them served alone with some cheese at breakfast diners.
Torta Chilena
Torta Chilena
It’d be a shame to visit Costa Rica and miss tasting Torta Chilena. The native Costa Rican treat is soft, sweet, and everything you need in a dessert.
It’s made of layers of thin pastry and stuffed with dulce de leche – a sweet sauce that tastes a bit like caramel. Most cafes top their torta chilena with some whipped cream or sprinkles, but the right Costa Rican way is to top it off with some shedded coconut.
Tres Leches
Tres Leches
Tres leches is hands-down the most popular dessert in Costa Rica. You’ll find it nearly everywhere, from local markets to cafes and restaurants.
From the outside, it looks like a basic cake covered in cream, but it’s much more than that. Tres Leches’ main component is vanilla sponge cake.
To make Tres Leches, the sponge cake is soaked in regular milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk, which explains why its name translates to ‘Three Milks.’
Costa Ricans love Tres Leches for its moist texture and sweet taste. The best way to eat it is to refrigerate it for a few hours first and have it cold.
Rosquillo
Rosquillo
Rosquillos are Costa Rican biscuits, commonly enjoyed with a cup of coffee and some dried cheese. The word Rosquillo actually translates to donut, but these biscuits are pretty far from your average donut. The only thing both pastries have in common is that they’re round.
Rosquilos are small and round. Their appearance will make you think they’re sweet, but they’re actually more on the salty side. These Costa Rican delights are made of butter, corn flour, salt, and dried cheese.
Arroz Con Leche
Arroz Con Leche
Arroz Con Leche is another name for rice pudding, which is popular in multiple cultures and is believed to have originated in ancient China.
Now, the dessert is enjoyed across countries all around the world, including the Middle East, Asian countries, and Latin American countries. Costa Ricans make their arroz con leche with a bunch of unique ingredients, like nuts, raisins, nutmeg, ginger, and clove.
Melcochas de Natilla
Melcochas de Natilla are Made with Sour Cream
Melcocas de Natilla is a traditional Costa Rican candy that can be easily made at home. Its main ingredients are sugar and sour cream, and it’s made into small pieces that are often enjoyed alongside coffee.
These sweets are hard on the teeth, so they’re often sucked like candy. You can find them in most grocery stores and bakeries in Costa Rican provinces.
Secret Recipe Tips
Secret Recipe Tips
Are you intrigued by Costa Rican food? Maybe you’d like to try one or two recipes from the Latin American country. To do that, you’d have to learn some secret recipe tips from the Costa Rican natives. Here’s a bunch of tips to get you started.
- Costa Ricans absolutely love ketchup and mayonnaise, and luckily for you, these are pretty easy to get anywhere. Whether you’re making some arroz con pollo or Costa Rican tacos, a side of ketchup and mayonnaise won’t hurt.
- The Costa Rican cuisine is all about variety and full plates. If you’re making Costa Rican food, make sure to create a full meal. If you’re serving rice and black beans, pair them with fried plantains, a salad, and maybe some corn tortillas.
- Ticos don’t shy away from spice. If you want to make any native dish like a Costa Rican would, make sure to add some Chiletico hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
- Most native Costa Rican dishes use Salsa Lizano in one way or another. It’s the national sauce of Costa Rica, so make sure to include it in your recipe.
- If you’re making any dish with white rice, you can color it with achiote, a popular spice and coloring agent that’s commonly used in Costa Rica.
Beverages
Beverages
Though Costa Rican cuisine is more focused on stewed veggies, stuffed tamales, and corn tortillas, there are plenty of beverages to enjoy.
Batidos
Batidos
Batidos are the Costa Rican version of smoothies, and they’re pretty common in cafes and shacks across the country.
The Costa Rican folks make their smoothies by blending fruit juice with powdered milk and ice. Then it’s served in a tall glass with a tiny umbrella on top for aesthetics. The most popular Batidos flavors are strawberry, guayabana, mora, and mango.
Churchill
Churchill
We know the name is by no means Latin American, but Churchill is a popular snow cone that you can enjoy in Costa Rica. Its main ingredients are shaved ice, condensed milk, syrup, milk powder, and of course, ice cream. It’s often topped by rolled wafers or fresh fruits.
This drink’s name actually has a funny tale. According to Costa Ricans, the drink originated from a trader in Puntarenas who kept ordering ice slush with all these extra ingredients.
He was reportedly Winston Churchill’s doppelganger, so the merchants in the area started calling the drink by his name.
Coffee
Coffee
This one is pretty obvious, but we can’t talk about Costa Rican beverages without mentioning the country’s tastiest drink: coffee.
This might shock you, but Costa Rican coffee is popular throughout the world for its huge variety and unique flavor. The country boasts eight plantation regions, each with different types of beans grown.
Thanks to the huge biodiversity of Costa Rica, the country enjoys plenty of microclimates, which allows different varieties of coffee beans to grow. If you’re visiting the country, make sure to try fresh Arabica beans before leaving.
Ingredients
Ingredients – Dragon Fruit
Rice and beans aren’t the only famous ingredients in Costa Rican dishes. There’s an assortment of native ingredients you’d love to learn about.
Palmito
Palmito
Palmito is a popular Costa Rican ingredient that’s often used in casseroles and picadillos. Some restaurants also add it to soups and salads – it’s safe to say that it’s a versatile ingredient that goes with most traditional dishes.
If you’re not familiar with palmito, it’s the palm heart that’s extracted from palm tree buds. Its taste is sweet with an acidic twist.
Pejibay
Pejibaye
What’s Costa Rica if not a country of exotic fruits? Pejibaye is a native popular fruit that grows in clusters high on palm trees. The native folks collect it and cook it in salted water, then they remove its seeds and skin. It’s then made into a soup or served with breakfast dishes.
Even if you’re not a fan of fruits, you’ll love the floral taste and the soft texture of Pejibaye. Plus, it’d be a shame to visit the country without tasting its most popular fruit. You can find it in local farmer’s markets.
Salsa Lizano
Salsa Lizano is Made with Turmeric
Salsa Lizano is a Costa Rican favorite, and you’ll find it pretty much everywhere in the country. It’s a condiment that’s been made in 1920 by the Lizano company, and its main ingredients are spices, sugar, vegetables, turmeric, mustard, salt, and pepper.
Costa Ricans add Salsa Lizano to pretty much everything, including meat dishes, beans, white rice, eggs, and salads. You’ll hardly find a traditional dish served in the country without some Salsa Lizano on top.
Chayote
Chayote
Chayote is a green, thick squash that’s otherwise known as choko. It has a long list of health benefits, thanks to its high content of vitamins and minerals. It first originated in Mesoamerica, and then made it across most Central American countries.
It mostly grows in Guatemala and Mexico, but it’s widely popular in Costa Rica as well.
Due to its rich consistency, chayote is often used in soups. It’s also commonly served with Picadillos and corn tortillas.
Carambola
Carambola
Carambola is just another name for star fruit, which popularly grows in India, China, Taiwan, the Caribbean, and Central America.
It’s common in Costa Rica because these folks love intense flavors, and the sweet and sour taste of carambola provides just that. It’s often used to make drink refreshments or salads and jams.
Chili Picante
Chili Picante
Chili picantes like Panameños and jalapenos are staple ingredients in a lot of Costa Rican dishes. The country obviously has a thing for spicy food, so it’s not an uncommon sight to see hot chili served with lunch and dinner dishes. It’s also used to make condiments like hot mayonnaise.
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and Spices
Costa Rican cuisine is heavily influenced by the various cultures that passed through the country.
Between the colonial Catalans of Spain and the Africans of Ghana and Guinea, the overlap of cultures caused the Costa Ricans to adapt plenty of traditional dishes to their preference – this includes adding herbs and spices, lots of them.
Each native Costa Rican dish will likely include one or two of these herbs and spices:
- Cilantro: When the Europeans settled in Costa Rica, they brought their ingredients along, and cilantro is one of them. The nutritious herb was used to treat stomach diseases back in the day, but today, it’s a staple ingredient in most dishes.
- Turmeric: With its bright orange color, turmeric belongs to the ginger family. Due to its antioxidant properties, it’s been used to relieve stomach problems for thousands of years. The Costa Ricans add it to a lot of their dishes, and it’s an ingredient of Salsa Lizano, the country’s most popular condiment.
- Ginger: Ginger is mainly known for two things: relieving nausea and having a spicy taste. It’s a common ingredient in many native Costa Rican plates, including Rondon soup and Arroz Con Leche.
Ginger
- Lemongrass: Though lemongrass isn’t commonly used in dishes, the Costa Ricans use it to treat flu symptoms and relieve stuffed sinuses. They usually boil its fresh leaves in water and have it with some ginger and honey.
- Sazon: Sazon is a blend of spices that’s usually made of garlic, annatto, cumin, coriander, and turmeric. It adds a strong kick to the food, so it’s popular for savory dishes like Gallo Pinto.
The Costa Rican food isn’t limited to the herbs and spices we listed above. There are plenty of other spices and ingredients used to give the food its intense taste. These include annatto, nutmeg, oregano, thyme, coriander, pepper, and parsley.
Costa Rican Food Culture
Costa Rican Food Culture
Like most Latin American countries, colonization swept Costa Rica off its hinges, leaving a huge impact on the country’s food culture in the process.
Now, most traditional dishes in the country are of Spanish origin, and a lot of staple ingredients only came to the country with the English-speaking Jamaicans in the 19th century.
Let’s learn more about Costa Rica’s food culture, eating habits, and etiquette.
Eating Habits
Eating Habits
The first eating habit you should know about Costa Rican people is that they eat rice and beans in all meals. It doesn’t matter whether it’s time for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you can always enjoy a dish of rice and beans with some veggies on the side.
On top of that, the Costa Ricans love their food mild. Though they appreciate spicy food, most of their food isn’t spicy. A lot of tourists often mention that they add salt to the food to add some taste.
In Costa Rica, most businesses shut down at lunch hour, so a lot of people have their lunch at home. If you’re on the go, you’d probably stop by a soda and have an empanada or a cookie with a cup of coffee.
For family gatherings and special occasions, the Costa Ricans make a full-blown dinner with slow-cooked stews as the superheroes of the day.
Meal Structure
Meal Structure
The meal structure of Costa Rican dishes differs for each plate, but there are a few staple ingredients that you’d find in most dishes.
For one, rice and beans are the main ingredients of most Costa Rican meals. You’ll find them in breakfast casados and dinner gallo pintos. In addition to that, most traditional meals in the country come with a side of fried or green plantains.
Lastly, the meal structure of Costa Rican plates isn’t complete without some Salsa Lizano, the most common sauce in the country.
One thing to learn about Costa Ricans is that they put plenty of different foods into their meal structure. Their plates often include a mix of vegetables and a side of protein, along with some corn tortillas in most cases.
If you maintain the basic structure of the plates, you can make any traditional Costa Rican meal you dream of.
Etiquette
Etiquette
If you’re visiting Costa Rica, you might as well learn about the country’s common etiquette, whether food-related or not.
The first thing to learn about Costa Ricans is that they have their own time. If you have an appointment with a Costa Rican, expect them to arrive 30 minutes late. It’s not a sign of disrespect or anything—it’s just how they go about their day.
When it comes to eating, the Costa Ricans hold their knives in the left hand and their forks in the right hand. They don’t start eating until the host says Buen Provecho, and they lay their utensils parallel to each other on the plates when they finish eating.
If you’re eating at a Costa Rican restaurant, you’ll want to leave a 15 to 20 percent tip, depending on the service quality you received.
Final Thoughts
Final Thoughts
Costa Rica is a boiling pot of various cultures, resulting from the colonial countries that passed through the land and left their mark on it. That’s why the culinary landscape of the country is heavily influenced by Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and African cultures.
From the sweet Tres Leche to the savory Olla de Carne, Costa Rican cuisine leaves nothing to crave. Whether you’re in the mood for a soft pastry, a spicy salad, or a comforting stew, you can find a dish that suits you among the Costa Rican food options we listed above.
And don’t forget to taste the country’s fresh coffee beans.
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