´ó¿§¸£ÀûÓ°Ôº

Coloradomike wrote:

I was about to make a statement about not having any good Tica food, until I read your last sentence. I have met some friends that go to each others home for dinner during the week and everyone brings something. It was always a feast. One of the meals, I made a clear BBQ sauce (family recipe) and grilled the chicken and it was a big hit. So at least the friends, that I have met so far are very creative, when it comes to cooking.
I ate at some restaurants in the mountains and thought that they had some really fantastic dishes.
I guess that it depends on where you go.

Yes, for some reason I took the original post as meaning "local RESTAURANT cuisine".
I think one fares better with actual Ticas/Ticos in their homes.

That said, way back when I did a home stay with a Tica while I was learning Spanish and guess what? Her cooking was lousy! 

Costa Rica Bargain Hunter wrote:

OMG!  Everybody, please come to Zarcero! 'Comida Tipica,' or traditional food, is celebrated here!  There are local festivals every weekend and it is put on display to its' best advantage!  This weekend, Tapesco is the location of the festival.  It's just past Zarcero, on the road to Ciudad Quesada.  I expect all kinds of sweets, like candied figs and candied grapefruit.  Coconut candy, carrot candy and cheverre candy are also common.  The 'pan casero,' rustic bread, looks good and the locals are mad for 'queso palmito,' the local cheese that's sold in a ball shape but it's supposed to be like string cheese.  I've written articles about several of the places nearby that have local food all year long.  La Palmita, just before you get to Zarcero on the road from Naranjo is one place you can stock up anytime you make the trip to look at the topiaries in our central park.  I wrote about the Don Beto organic cheese company that's near here too.  Locally made cheese in a wide variety, including smoked cheese.  Near Tapesco is a really huge organic produce and milk product store where you can buy as much of the local organic fruits and veggies as you can fit in your car.  I'm writing about them on Sunday.  Another article I did was about a restaurant, very near Zarcero, called, 'El Sueño del Indio.'  Wonderful traditional food at great prices with a mountain view that's absolutely spectacular.  I wasn't sure if I could leave links.  Anytime you're coming this way and want advice on places to get the local food, message me, either here or at Costa Rica Bargain Hunter on Facebook.  There's even a local bar that has traditional food on their boca menu that's free, as long as you're drinking.  You could put together a tasting menu FREE and get a really good idea of what real Costa Rican food tastes like!

Thanks for the info. I figured there MUST be some good food somewhere, but it has not been easy to find.
We'll be living in San Ramon soon so we'll definitely put Zarcero on our list of places to check out.

The only comment I have about your post other than being happy you gave us this info is that the "queso palmito" is - to my taste buds - really lousy! My friend who tried it with me didn't like it either. I'd describe it as a rubber ball of tasteless stringy stuff.

I hope I can find local cheese that is good and not more than $4/pound. Here in the states I eat a lot of cheese and I notice when I am in Costa Rica I can't afford the imported cheeses. Instead of a great cheddar or jack for $3-4/pound they are like $8 a pound in Costa Rica!

My wife and I are going to try to make our own cheeses.

Rolllingstone wrote:

Thank you for this bit of information which is really quite important to foodies like my wife and I. We will be traveling through Costa Rica in Jan 2016 for 3 weeks looking for a suitable place we may wish to rent for 3 months or more. However, for the Jan trip we will be staying in Playa Samara. How far is this place from where we are? We plan on touring a lot from Samara. 
Robert & Marsha

Samara to Zarcero is going to be pretty much an all-day excursion for you.

Driving Distance: 209 km , Duration: 3 hours 47 mins, Route: Route 1
Different Units: 208.65 km, 129.65 mi, 112.66 nmi
Straight line or air distance: 129.04 km, 80.18 miles, 69.63 nautical miles.
Back to Distance Calculator OR Jump to Directions Map
FROM:

@Priscilla

Costa Rican cuisine is known for its simplicity, freshness, and balance. With a rich agricultural landscape, meals often include wholesome ingredients like rice, beans,fresh fruits and vegetables, and organic meats, definitely a food to try in costa rica. Locally grown produce enhances flavors while contributing to the overall health of Costa Ricans, especially in places like the Nicoya Peninsula—one of the the world’s Blue Zones, where people live longer and healthier lives.

Make sure to Read our blog to learn more about costarican cuisine castleofozcostarica.com/costa-rica-popular-food-castle-oz/

@The Castle of Oz

First... the original post on this thread was from 2015.. almost 10 years ago.  The most recent post was 2022...

Just so you know, as a new member, it's probably good to look at the date of the original posts and then the date of the most recent ones... you could find that you're responding to something that's 'timeliness' has long ago expired.

Second... what you described as 'cuisine' was simply, food or groceries.  All of the things on your list are available in most parts of the world. CR is not special for having rice!!  or beans, or meats, or fresh produce.

Cuisine is defined as: a style or method of cooking, especially as characteristic of a particular country, region, or establishment:   

Costa Rican 'cuisine' isn't much to write home about.  Pinto isn't special.. I had it in Nicaragua.  Tamales here do not win blue ribbons on the world 'tamale' stage... that goes to Mexicans and Texans!!!   The most amazing empanadas are not the flat greasy things that you find here... but the much smaller ones with amazingly 'creative' and multi ingredient 'fillings' that you can get in Spain.. or a good Spanish restaurant in another country.  I challenge anybody to find me a 'costa rican' restaurant in New York City.

But YES... you can find good cuisine in Costa Rica... but generally in Restaurants in higher end neighborhoods of San Jose... or in tourist towns, hotels and resorts where the chefs are cooking in a more international or nouvelle style that they learned 'abroad' and use fresh ingredients found locally FOR FOREIGNERS, mostly... but the typical dishes found in the Sodas across CR are not cuisine that is worth putting into a book.  Even the cooking segments on the locally produced, tele 'magazine' programs are generally about cooking things that are not common to CR kitchens.  I saw somebody cook pork chops with mango 'CHUTNEY'  and red velvet cake, and cinnamon buns, and paella, and brownies... none of which are COSTA RICAN.

You can say Wow!!!  the arroz con leche is great here... and it is... but it exists all over the world. I prefer the kind that you get in a good Jewish deli.   And don't get me started with the Pollo Frito!!!   I'll take it from almost anywhere BESIDES here... where it sits under a heat lamp all day (cooked earlier that day.. 5 miles away!!)  ... next to the road... sold by a girl who has no personality and spends the entire day 'texting'.   

Sorry.. but know what 'cuisine' means before you write about it.   Cost Rica has food, not cuisine.   There aren't enough 'unique' dishes here to fill a 5 page cookbook.

I had Tico friends in the US tell me, "you're going to hate the food scene down there... because it basically doesn't exist unless you live in a trendy part of the Capital, or in a resort area or tourist town.   I luckily can cook... and I make a great Cornish Pasty with locally 'purchased' ingredients... even though the flour was imported, as were the Peruvian potatoes.

rainagain (above) has it pretty much right. In Costa Rica, with rare exceptions, we don't "dine", we "eat".