COSTA RICAN
Costa Rican cuisine is known for being flavourful, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables. The main staple, known as gallo pinto, consists of rice and black beans.
For lunch, the traditional national dish is called a casado. It again consists of rice and beans served side by side instead of mixed. There will usually be some type of meat (carne asada, fish, pork chop or chicken) and a salad. There may also be extras like fried plantain (patacones), a slice of white cheese and/or corn tortillas. In many family gatherings or for special occasions it is very common to prepare arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) accompanied with a Russian salad.
In taverns, various small dishes (boquitas) are served which include patacones with black bean dip, chimichurri (tomatoes and onions pickled in lime juice) accompanied with tortilla chips, chifrijo (rice and beans with chicharrones, which are fried pork skins, and chimichurri), ceviche (fish and/or shrimp with onions and pickled in lime juice) and vigorón (cabbage, chimichurri, yucca, served with a slice of lime).
Fresh vegetables are a primary ingredient in most main dishes, and members of the squash family are particularly common. These include varieties such as zucchini and chayote.
The plantain is another commonly used fruit and can be served in a variety of ways. Ripe plantains (maduro) have a sweet flavour and can be fried in butter, baked in a honey or a sugar-based sauce, or put in soups. Green (unripe) plantains can be boiled in soups or can be sliced and fried to make patacones.
Sweet corn dishes are common traditional meals like pozol (corn soup) and chorreadas (corn pancakes).
Tortillas frequently accompany meals, but rice is nearly always present.
Picadillos are meat and vegetable combinations where one or more vegetables are diced, mixed with beef and garnished with spices. Common vegetables used in picadillos are potatos, green beans, squash, ayote, chayote and arracache.