A FOOD TRADITION
Costa Rican Cuisine
A mestizo cooking tradition centered on rice, beans, corn, vegetables, meats, tropical produce, and simple home-style preparations.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
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Empanadas de Carne
Costa Rican savory turnovers made from corn dough and filled with seasoned beef, onion, and sweet pepper before being cooked until golden.
Empanadas de Chiverre
Costa Rican sweet pastry turnovers filled with chiverre preserve and baked until lightly browned.
Escabeche
A Belizean escabeche is a tangy chicken-based soup or stew with onions softened in vinegar and aromatic seasonings.
Gallo Pinto
A Costa Rican rice-and-beans dish cooked together with aromatics and commonly served for breakfast or as a side.
Granizado
A Costa Rican shaved-ice dessert flavored with fruit syrup and commonly finished with sweetened condensed milk and milk powder.
Guiso de Ayote
A traditional Costa Rican squash stew in which tender pieces of ayote are simmered with onion, garlic, cilantro, and seasoning.
Melcocha
A traditional Costa Rican pulled candy made by boiling unrefined cane sugar with water and working the cooled syrup into a chewy confection.
Olla de Carne
A Costa Rican beef and vegetable stew simmered until the meat and assorted root vegetables are tender.
Patacones
Costa Rican twice-fried green plantain rounds that are flattened between frying stages and served crisp and salted.
Picadillo de Arracache
A Costa Rican arracacha-root picadillo prepared with sautéed aromatics, herbs, and seasoning until the root is soft and savory.
Picadillo de Chayote
A Costa Rican chayote picadillo made from chopped chayote cooked with onion, garlic, herbs, and savory seasoning until tender.
Picadillo de Papa
A Costa Rican potato picadillo made by sautéing aromatics and herbs with diced potatoes until tender, sometimes with ground beef.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.