Salsa Lizano

Number 10! This sauce was first made in Alajuela in 1920 and has dominated the Costa Rican condiment game ever since. The thin, smooth brown sauce gets compartmentalized into the same sauce family as Worcestershire sauce.

It's found on both kitchen counters and dining tables, as it's meant to be used two ways:

1. Incorporated into recipes for an intermingled Lizano experience.

2. Dowsed on top of any food one can get their hands on.

Flavor-wise, it has a slight sweetness and leans toward the acidic side. Flavor-giving ingredients include water, sugar, salt, onions, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, pepper, mustard,, and turmeric.

Ticos will use this sauce in many of their dishes, including eggs, tamales, rice, fish, cheese, or as a marinade. It's a one-size-fits-all condiment and alone leaves many wanting to return to the Country just for its flavor.

Mango

Yum. This sweet and juicy stone fruit comes in at the number nine spot!

Now, let's get this out of the way. There are generally two different mango variations one would find in the grocery store, one with an Indian origin and one from more Southeastern regions of Asia. We will focus on the Indian variation since it's the one you will more commonly see in Costa Rica.

Mango trees were brought to Eastern Africa by traders in the 9th and 10th centuries, brought to Morocco (northwestern Africa) in the 14th century, brought to Brazil in the 16th and 17th centuries, and then to the Caribbean and Latin American regions in the 18th century... then into my belly in 2021. They like growing in tropical and subtropical areas.

When ripe and ready to eat, they smell very sweet. The fruit's flesh will be juicy, soft, and slightly fibrous. Some compare the texture to a combination of a canteloupe and avocado.

Although their peak harvest season is March through June, one can easily find mangos all year round.

Picadillo

The number two spot goes to a traditional Latin American dish. Picadillo!

The name comes from the Spanish word "picar," meaning "to mince." This makes sense because, at first glance, picadillo resembles a plated, shell-less taco filling

Usually made ground beef and tomatoes, other ingredients might include potato, chayote, peppers, onions, herbs, and spices. On Costa Rican food menus or in conversation, the dish will be named after the predominant ingredient included. For example:

Picadillo with potato would be "picadillo de papa."

Picadillo with chayote would be, "picadillo de chayote."

Picadillo is almost always served with tortillas for scooping or rice for juice-soaking.

Tamales

It's like Christmas morning every time you unwrap the next spot on our list... the tamale!

Tamales are a piece of mesoamerican culinary history! They are believed to have been made as early as 8000 BC.

If eating a tamale in Costa Rica, one would most likely be unwrapping a banana leaf wrapper that acts as both cooking hardware and seasoning to what is hiding inside: a steamed cornflour-based dough, flavored with a variety of meats, peppers, cheeses, vegetables, or even fruit!

I didn't know how to describe it, so I googled, "what do tamales taste like?" Here are some of the responses that I found:

"heaven, son."3

"ye thy r gd bro."

"Corn and sunshine, and the inside of a happy person's mouth."

Coffee

Why not enjoy your morning joe on the mountainside of a volcano? Costa Rica and coffee go together like the Caribbean and rum.

Coffee is the bitter and acidic beverage that we all drink to get us moving in the morning. The drink's delicious flavor, and its higher-than-most caffeine content, keep everyone coming back for more.

Coffee is a cooked drink…. yes, cooked, and it all starts with a little red berry.

The steps in the coffee-making process are as followed:

The berries are deseeded (they are now known as "green coffee")
The green coffee gets roasted
The roasted coffee get ground to the desired consistency
The coffee is brewed in either hot or cold water
The coffee gets guzzled by those who need a little energy boost

Baristas and the general public go crazy for Costa Rica's beans for the brown sugar, citrus, and fruity notes the Country's crop produces.

Guaro

A popular liquor in Latin America, the number five spot goes to Guaro! Similar to rum, guaro is the product of distilling sugar cane juice. However, this spirit is going to be slightly sweeter with around 25% less alcohol (usually found at 30% compared to rum’s 40%).

The only legal brand of this spirit you will find in Costa Rica is by Cacique Guaro.

Common guaro cocktails that one might find include:

Chiliguaro: a shot of guaro mixed with tomato juice, tabasco, lime juice, and rimmed with salt and pepper.

Guaro Sour: guaro, sugar and lime

Patacones

Number four goes to patacones!

Usually served as a side dish, these twice-fried plantains visually resemble latke, just with smashed plantain instead of grated potato. Underripe green plantains are necessary because if the fruit is too ripe, the patacone may not hold its shape.

The history here is a little blurry; many islands in the Caribbean compete with Latin American countries to be recognized as being the food's birthplace. Costa Rica is a nice blend of both of these regions, making sense why they are so popular. Costa Rica is both a Latin American country and hugs the Caribbean Sea.

Served mainly as a side dish, they can be served crispy, like chips, or softer, similar to a circular version of a French fry.

When seeing a plantain, one might think they taste identical to a banana. Although plantains have a slight hint of banana taste, they are not nearly as sweet and more often compared to a potato in the culinary world.

Ceviche

The number three spot goes to ceviche!

Ceviche is a seafood dish that is kind of cooked and kind of isn't. Whatever it is, it is made from fresh seafood and proud of it. Preparation goes like this: cubed pieces of seafood will take a flavor bath in some citrus juice. While the fish sits, the juice will act as a marinade while its acid denatures the seafood's protein.

** This denaturing is why you can say that ceviche is kind of "cooked." By definition, one needs to apply heat to cook something, but what does heat to do proteins? It denatures them. So here, the texture and eating experience will be completely different from "heat cooked" fish, but since the proteins are denatured, ceviche isn't like eating completely raw fish. **

Besides the citrus juice, which's commonly lemon or lime juice, other herbs and spices can be added for extra flavor. Some examples of flavor enhancers include salt, pepper, onions, cilantro, or peppers. Commonly used fish are going to be tilapia, carving, maki-maki, shark, or marlin. This dish is usually served with crackers or plantain chips on the side for easier scooping.

Casado

I highly doubt that cannabilism is popular in Costa Rica, but the second most recommended thing to eat when in the Country is “the married man.” The meal, known as cosado, translates to the married man. They’re not eating people… as far as we know.

Casado isn’t a singular thing like guaro, patacones, or mangoes; rather its meal, a plate with a variety of different foods. It is reminiscent of what a “married man’s” wife would prepare him at home for dinner. Generally, this plate will include some sort of meat (chicken, pork, beef, or fish), rice and beans, plantains, a salad, and a tortilla. In addition to these staples, the meal might include cheese, avocado, picadillo, eggs, corn, or really anything. Since this is a very home-cooked style meal, I’m sure the cleaning-out-the-pantry method is applied here.

Casado is a holistic representation of the Country’s gastronomy, demographic history, and culture and pays tribute to all who made the Country what it is today.

Gallo Pinto

Gallo Pinto is a traditional dish of Central America and the National dish of Costa Rica! At first glance, Gallo pinto might look just like a pile of rice and beans, but to Ticos and visitors, it is much more. Gallo Pinto is appropriate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and should always be served hot.

This is a mixture of beans, rice, bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Many gallo pinto plates on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast also include coconut milk. With heavy influences from African cooking styles and regional varieties, I have the feeling that no two recipes are the same and should all be explored.

Gallo pinto translates to "spotted rooster." Although there is no chicken in the dish, the dark beans mixed with the lighter rice might give the vague appearance of a speckled mound.... and that might resemble a rooster? Not sure where they got that from. If you know, please let us know!

The history here is controversial, as Costa Rica and Nicaragua claim to be the dish's founding Country. This plate is thought to have come to fruition after Christopher Columbus discovered the area and has roots in many cultures. The beans in the dish are attributed to the region's indigenous people. The rice is thought to be from the Spanish, who originally got the crop from the Arab World. The cooking techniques and flavorings are said to be from Africa, as the African slaves owned by the Spanish were doing most of the cooking.

Gallo pinto may have roots very spread out, but it is 100% Costa Rican.

Top 10 Foods: What to Eat in Costa Rica