Today's post is a tribute to the simplicity and elegance of Costa Rican food. Costa Rica is a country with an incredible breadth of natural resources and beauty; from beaches to mountains, rainforests to volcanoes, hot springs to miles and miles of banana and pineapple plantations, this land of paradise appeals to people of all walks of life. I had the pleasure of visiting Costa Rica for seven days and had an amazing time. Given the gorgeous backdrop of cordilleras of this tiny Central American country, it would be difficult to dislike any food put in front of me. But to be able to enjoy juicy cuts of papaya, watermelon, and pineapple, slowly sip on fresh fruit milkshakes and juices (made in a blender, not poured from a carton!), and savor deliciously flavored rice and black beans WHILE enjoying the views...well, it was indescribable.
I wish I had taken a few more pictures of the food and drinks we had, but I was just so distracted by the unbelievable beauty surrounding me. :) Nevertheless, I've included pictures of some platters we had below.
The first shot is not a good one -- apologies. This is a picture of the cheese platter a group of us shared on a tour of the Monteverde Cheese Factory. Monteverde is a cloud forest that has a diverse abundance of wildlife and plant life. A group of Quakers from Alabama settled there in the 1950s after being completely disgruntled by the United States government over the war draft. As you may very well know, Quakers are pacifists, so they refused to sign up for the mandatory war draft. Subsequently, many Quakers were jailed. After being released from prison, 13 Quaker families from Alabama decided that enough was enough and that they wanted to take their families and move elsewhere -- in this case, south to Costa Rica by horse and buggy. After months and months of painstaking travel and planning, this group of Quakers decided to build a cheese factory in the Monteverde area and have remained there ever since. The workers at the factory still collect liters upon liters of fresh milk from local dairy farms every morning, which they use to manufacture and distribute cheese, ice cream, and other milk products all over Costa Rica and surrounding countries in Central America. The whey, which is the primary waste product when making cheese (see this website for a simple 101 on the cheese-making process), is trucked over to a large, nearby pig farm to fatten up the animals. This factory is extremely meticulous about quality control, particularly when it comes to responsibly disposing of waste (and preserving the environment, in the process). They do make several different types of cheese, such as gouda, parmesan, mozarella, and cheddar. However, they are most famous for their original recipe for the Monte Rico cheese, a soft, creamy, mild cheese that melts in your mouth (most Costa Ricans hate aged, sharp cheeses -- our tour guide described how earlier in the week another tour group from a Costa Rican high school had visited the factory and were completely grossed out by the taste of parmesan and cheddar!).
Agua dulce, which means "sweet water" in English, is typically served hot as a breakfast drink (although also served other times of the day). It is made with sugar cane juice. I know...it looks different than sugar cane juice, which is almost clearish-green. However, from what little Spanish I know, I gathered from a local that for this particular drink, the cane juice is solidified into this brown powder (it looked a lot like brown sugar), which is then boiled in water and served as a "hot tea." Ahh, what a comforting drink to enjoy on a cool morning while enjoying the mountain air!
Ahh, the casado. Casados are the most commonly served platters (comida tipica) at tiny restaurants/hangout spots (called "sodas") in Costa Rica. Each casado comes with at least four different sides; there are always at least three servings of fruits and vegetables in each platter. Typically, casados come with rice and beans, fried sweet plantains, and a simple salad. Casados are also served with some type of meat, most commonly chuletas, or pork chops, served with grilled onions (yum!). Very simple, colorful, healthy, and delicious. What a meal!
Here is another typical meal served in Costa Rica -- arroz con pollo. Every arroz con pollo platter I ordered included a large amount of rice, but never failed to include a sizable salad alongside it. This particular platter was ordered at a restaurant which literally looked like my grandmother's kitchen. I'm not kidding -- I think the family who owned the restaurant lived in the next room. This delectable rice was perfectly flavored with tender pieces of chicken, garlic, green onion, lemon, and tomatoes. This meal absolutely hit the spot after a long day of ziplining, hiking, and exploring Monteverde!
Ahh, a typical breakfast. We woke up every morning to a platter of rice and black beans and three types of fresh fruit -- papaya, pineapple, and watermelon. Often, fried sweet plantains were also served with breakfast. The rice and beans were unique in that they were always cooked together for breakfast, but separately for other meals. When cooked together, however, the beans brought out a hearty, creamy texture to the rice. This dish was not only filling and delicious, but also very healthy when paired with such colorful tropical fruits.
Agua dulce, which means "sweet water" in English, is typically served hot as a breakfast drink (although also served other times of the day). It is made with sugar cane juice. I know...it looks different than sugar cane juice, which is almost clearish-green. However, from what little Spanish I know, I gathered from a local that for this particular drink, the cane juice is solidified into this brown powder (it looked a lot like brown sugar), which is then boiled in water and served as a "hot tea." Ahh, what a comforting drink to enjoy on a cool morning while enjoying the mountain air!
Ahh, the casado. Casados are the most commonly served platters (comida tipica) at tiny restaurants/hangout spots (called "sodas") in Costa Rica. Each casado comes with at least four different sides; there are always at least three servings of fruits and vegetables in each platter. Typically, casados come with rice and beans, fried sweet plantains, and a simple salad. Casados are also served with some type of meat, most commonly chuletas, or pork chops, served with grilled onions (yum!). Very simple, colorful, healthy, and delicious. What a meal!
Here is another typical meal served in Costa Rica -- arroz con pollo. Every arroz con pollo platter I ordered included a large amount of rice, but never failed to include a sizable salad alongside it. This particular platter was ordered at a restaurant which literally looked like my grandmother's kitchen. I'm not kidding -- I think the family who owned the restaurant lived in the next room. This delectable rice was perfectly flavored with tender pieces of chicken, garlic, green onion, lemon, and tomatoes. This meal absolutely hit the spot after a long day of ziplining, hiking, and exploring Monteverde!
Ahh, a typical breakfast. We woke up every morning to a platter of rice and black beans and three types of fresh fruit -- papaya, pineapple, and watermelon. Often, fried sweet plantains were also served with breakfast. The rice and beans were unique in that they were always cooked together for breakfast, but separately for other meals. When cooked together, however, the beans brought out a hearty, creamy texture to the rice. This dish was not only filling and delicious, but also very healthy when paired with such colorful tropical fruits.
And now for a grand finale (simply because I cannot resist), a few more shots of Costa Rican scenery. I hope you all enjoy.
