cuisine of Costa Rica
From your first taste of savory gallo pinto (rice and beans) or a mixed plate known as casado or a bowl of zesty ceviche, cuisine tipica has a lot to rave about. Costa Rican cuisine is rooted in several distinctive cultures, including Indigenous ingredients, Spanish colonial influences and Afro-Caribbean traditions. Favorite dishes and modern innovations are built around local ingredients that flourish in these fertile areas – like Pujagua corn from Nicoya, bananas from the Caribbean coast and seafood sourced from the Pacific Ocean.
Lunch is the main meal of the day, and you can enjoy homestyle dishes in local eateries known as sodas or a seafood-focused marisquería. Farm markets and roadside stands give you ample opportunities to devour fresh fruits and sip smoothies made from delicious tropical produce such as mangos, rambutan and papaya. Cool off with a copo (shaved ice with condensed milk) from a cart on the beach; when you’re on the Caribbean side, don’t be taken aback if you spot “toad water,” agua de sapo, on the menu – it’s a deliciously satisfying lemonade made with brown sugar and ginger.
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