While the climate of Costa Rica may be continually changing, one thing I can always count on each time I return are my favorite “comfort” foods. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a family whose holy tenants included good food and frequent travel.

Costa Rica Living — Costa Rica food

My father has the natural propensity for locating and remembering the most savory restaurants; I’m talking anything from your mom and pop joint to the best gourmet dining. Tell him where you’re headed, doesn’t matter where, and odds are he’ll know of a place. And lucky for this bon vivant, my mother just so happens to be a wonderful cook herself. At any rate, there is a reason I have returned to Costa Rica countless times in the last decade, beginning with an initial family vacation; Costa Rica just so happens to fulfill the good food and travel tenants.

So what are these comfort foods I speak of? We’ll begin with desayuno típico, or typical breakfast, consisting of richly brewed Costa Rican coffee straight from verdant coffee fields scattered throughout the mountainsides. This pipping hot cup is accompanied by huevos, or eggs which I prefer scrambled or “revueltos.” Finally, the piece de resistance of the meal is the every man’s dish, the tasty and proverbial “gallo pinto”. Rice and beans, deemed the “spotted rooster” for it’s appearance is the best tasting combination of garlic, onion and cilantro mixed in with the staple elements (rice and beans). I enjoy salsa Lizano on mine as well. This special sauce made of fermented vegetables is like A1 for steak, unbeatable, and any vegetarian’s favorite.

Now lunch and dinner, “almuerzo” y “cena,” are very similar and unchanging whether you’re in the city, mountains, or beach side. You can go into any “soda,” local restaurant, and your “casado,” Costa Rican plate, will include a piece of meat, chicken, or fish. More often than nought the protein will be covered in a salsa-like sauce accompanied by a small salad, “picadillo” or ground meat and tomatoes, as well as traditional thick and salty white cheese, tortillas, or rice and beans. It’s always exciting to see what combination of these delicious foods will be put together.

Drinks are also a treat, as I said before, the coffee here is top notch as is evident by the exportation and use of “Costa Rican coffee” by major companies like Starbucks. But more importantly are the native tropical juices: sweet and sour “cas” and rich “guanabana.” Of course, you can also order melon, passion fruit, blackberry and strawberry juices.

No matter what part of the country you plan on traveling to, Costa Rican food is the icing atop a picturesque and diverse landscape.

Photo courtesy of mycrvilla.com

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Filed under: Living on December 20th, 2007