Costa Rican cuisine is not much different that the rest of Latin American cuisine, much more less spice that Mexican but with more variety that the rest because the diverse products that you will find in Costa Rica this leads for a variety across the paled.

Some items typical Costa Rican cuisine includes maize-based dishes (tortillas, tamales, biscochos) and various salsas and other condiments (guacamole and chimichurri).

Latin American beverages are just as distinct as their foods. Some of the beverages can even date back to the times of the Native Americans like coffee, guaro, horchata, chicha, and atole. The most popular beverages include coffee, guaro, horchata, chicha, atole and frescos naturales.

Desserts are generally very sweet in taste. They include dulce de leche, arroz con leche, tres leches, cajetas, toronja rellena and flan.

Costa Rican cuisine is known to have reliance on fresh fruits and vegetables. The most common is Gallo Pinto, consists of rice and black or read beans, which in many households is eaten at all three meals during the day.

Other Costa Rican food staples include corn tortillas, white cheese and picadillos.

Tortillas are used to accompany most meals. Costa Ricans will often fill their tortillas with whatever they are eating and eat it in the form of a gallo (direct translation: rooster, however, it resembles a soft Mexican taco). White cheese is non-processed cheese that is made by adding salt to milk in production. 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 potatoes, green beans, squash, ayote, chayote and arracache. Often, picadillos are eaten in the form of gallos.

Costa Rican cuisine is known for being tasty, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruits and vegetables. The main staple, known as gallo pinto, consists of rice and black beans, which in many households is eaten at all three meals during the day.

A typical Costa Rican Breakfast consisting of gallo pinto, fried plantains, an egg, and orange juice

Gallo pinto is also known in some Southern Areas of Costa Rica as “burra”, though still recognized the name is rarely used as it is mostly referred to as gallo pinto. Also, Costa Rican gallo pinto is made with black or red beans.

For lunch, the traditional national dish is called “casado”. It again consists of rice and beans, though this time they are served side by side instead of mixed. There will generally be some type of meat (carne asada, sudada or fried, fish, pork chop or chicken) and a salad to round out the dish. There may also be some extras like fried plantain´s, a slice of white cheese, and/or corn tortillas in accompaniment.

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, zapallo, chayote, and ayote. Potato, onion, and red pepper are other common ingredients.

A typical Costa Rican dinner consisting of egg on chicken with rice and beans, vegetables, fried plantain, and cooked bananas.

Coffee and banana are the two main agricultural exports of the country and also form part of the local cuisine. Coffee is usually served at breakfast and during traditional coffee breaks in the afternoon, usually around 3:00pm.

The Plantain, a larger member of the banana family, is another commonly used fruit and can be served in a variety of ways. Ripe plantains have a sweet flavor, and can be fried in butter or baked in a honey or a sugar-based sauce. Green (unripe) plantains are boiled in soups or can be cooked, mashed into small round cakes and fried to make patacones. Sweet corn dishes are common traditional meals like pozole (corn soup), chorreadas (corn pancakes), etc.

Other Costa Rican food staples include corn tortillas, white cheese and picadillos. Tortillas are used to accompany most meals. Ticos will often fill their tortillas with whatever they are eating and eat it in the form of a gallo [direct translation: rooster, however, it resembles a soft Mexican taco]. White cheese is non-processed cheese that is made by adding salt to milk in production. 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 potatoes, green beans, squash, ayote, chayote and arracache. Often, picadillos are eaten in the form of gallos.