Eating In Costa Rica

By BobbyRica | October 24, 2008

To Westerners like myself, Costa Rican cuisine might come a bit off-mark, palate-wise. I would easily grab at the first offering of burger and fries. In fact, I was a bit skeptic on eating some of their foods the first time I tried them. Their cooking is actually quite simple but heavy on grease and local greens.

The native dishes, locally known as comida tipica, rely heavily on two of their most abundant crops- rice and beans. Many of their home-style cooking are based on these two produce. But if there’s anything good I can say about Costa Rican foods, they are generally wholesome and reasonably priced.

Gallo Pinto, the national dish of fried rice and black beans, is a favorite serving for breakfast. One meal that I really liked is the famed Rice n’ Beans of the Caribbean, which I reluctantly ate but ended up liking the taste experience. It’s just like Gallo Pinto made in coconut milk; a real try-worthy! They also have some other native-inspired meals like Arroz con Pollo or Arroz con Atun, both rice-based.

Come lunch time, their Casado is a famous food request. It’s a simple concoction of rice and beans, complemented by cabbage, tomato salad, fried plantains, and meat. It’s actually surprising that Costa Rica’s rich vegetable produce didn’t figure into the grub they serve on their table. If you get invited for lunch though, make sure you hide your frown if you are dismayed by the immoderate amount of food served- something dictated by their culture.

Food staples in Costa Rica include such meat products as beef, chicken and fish. The country may be home to a smorgasbord of sea creatures like shrimps and lobsters yet these are pricey commodities since most of their sea harvests get exported. If you’re budget is a bit tight, stick with the casado and its close cousin, the plato del dia.

Let me make it clear that my skepticism towards their food is not due to any health problem that might surface after eating the local foods. But let me inform you that some of the pesticides used in Costa Rica are forbidden elsewhere. Also, black beans and chicharrones might be unwelcome to a foreign tummy. Thus, it would be wise to eat where the locals eat.

Costa Rica has no national drink. What they have are the horchata, a cinnamon flavored corn meal drink, chan, a slimy drink made of seeds, linaza, a drink used to soothe indigestion, and fresco de frutas, a fruit salad floating on a base of kola and water. All of these scream yum, yum!

Costa Rica’s coffee, just like their sea species, get exported too, so don’t expect to have the best-tasting and sense-perking aroma of coffee everywhere you wanna have a taste of it. Many local bars have the now disappearing habit of serving bocas, a dish of chicken bits or bean soup, with each drink. Imported drinks may be hefty on the pocket so just content yourself with some local Costa Rican drinks. The most famous beers are the Bavaria and Imperial. But if you really don’t have a stretchable budget, just drink the native red-eye, guaro, a harshly clear spirit, distilled from fermented sugarcane. Now, even the poorest campesino can afford to get drunk if this is what they gulp down. Costa Rica’s local wines are made mostly from fruits other than grapes so you might wanna avoid them if you’re not familiar with the taste. Best way to go is still the imported wine. Cousino Mocul from Portugal is my personal favorite – great quality but not so pricey.