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Costa Rican cuisine is diverse, mouthwatering, and unlike anything you’ve ever tasted!
The base is white rice and black beans. How these are prepared, varies by region and province (there are seven provinces in Costa Rica). I’ve often read that the “Holy Trinity” of food from Costa Rica consists of garlic, cilantro, and onion. These ingredients, plus the unique and indispensable Salsa Lizano (a popular condiment used in cooking) give Costa Rican food a unique flavor.
In my opinion, the national dish of Costa Rica is ‘Gallo Pinto’ (Costa Rican beans and rice), and ‘Chicken with Rice’ is a close second. From breakfast to dinner, coffee traditions to appetizers at the bar, Costa Rican cuisine is as diverse as it is delicious. Do keep in mind, though, that Costa Rican food is very rarely, if ever, spicy.
Here’s a roundup of some favorite recipes from Costa Rica. This is not an exhaustive list- just some favorites to get you started with exploring our unique cuisine. Enjoy, or as we say in Costa Rica: buen provecho.
The basics- rice and beans
Costa Rican White Rice Recipe – Pura Vida Moms
Costa Rican Slow Cooker Black Beans Recipe– Pura Vida Moms
Most popular Costa Rican dishes
- Gallo Pinto Recipe– Rainy Day Mum
- Arroz con pollo – Pura Vida Moms
Some popular main dishes…
- Picadillo de chayote – Pura Vida Moms
- Sopa de garbanzos – Pura Vida Moms
Snacks and desserts…
- Cheese Empanadas – All Done Monkey
- Costa Rican Taco – Pura Vida Moms
- Tamal de masa dessert– Pura Vida Moms
And finally, a post full of our FAVORITE Costa Rican Food Photography from Pura Vida Moms. The casado is the most common lunch dish; a perfect combination of many of the recipes above served up hot and tasty!
So tell us- which Costa Rican recipe do you most want to try?
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Looking for more recipe posts from Multicultural Kid Blogs?
We are so excited for our sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Month series and giveaway! Through the month (September 15 – October 15), you’ll find great resources to share Hispanic Heritage with kids, plus you can enter to win in our great giveaway and link up your own posts on Hispanic Heritage!
September 15
Embracing Diversity on Multicultural Kid Blogs: 10 Fun Facts About Dominican Republic
September 18
Spanish Mama: Nazca Lines – Exploratory Art Project
September 19
Hispanic Mama: Fun Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Your Children
September 20
Inspired by Family: 16 Great Children’s Books About South America
September 21
Spanish Mama: Folk Songs in Spanish
September 25
Spanish Playground: Food from Latin America Infographic Picture Cards Activities
September 26
All Done Monkey: 60+ Hispanic Heritage Month Recipes to Try with Kids
September 27
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Hispanic Inspired Crafts for Kids
September 28
Kid World Citizen
September 29
Pura Vida Moms on Multicultural Kid Blogs
October 2
Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes on Multicultural Kid Blogs
October 5
Spanglish House
October 6
Mama Tortuga
October 12
Tiny Tapping Toes
Don’t miss all of the great posts from previous years as well: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Hispanic Heritage Month Giveaway!
Giveaway begins September 15 and goes through October 15, 2017. Enter below for a chance to win one of these amazing prize packages! Some prizes have shipping restrictions. In the event that a winner lives outside the designated shipping area, that prize will then become part of the following prize package. For more information, read our full giveaway rules.
Grand Prize
From Mariana Iranzi: A digital copy of her new CD Primavera
From Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: A print copy of Cántale a tu bebé with music download – US Shipping Only
From 123 Andrés: A copy of the CD Arriba Abajo (digital copy if outside the US)
From Spanish Playground: Set of books, crafts, and toys from Latin America – US Shipping Only
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From World Music with Daria: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Musical Craft and Coloring E-Book
From Gus on the Go: Spanish Alphabet Print (US Shipping Only) & single-use promo code for Spanish for kids language app
From Lectura Para Niños: A set of printable little readers, one for each letter of the Spanish alphabet. Designed to last the entire school year, with one new book each week plus several review weeks included throughout the set
1st Prize
From Mariana Iranzi: A digital copy of her new CD Primavera
From Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: A print copy of Cántale a tu bebé with music download – US Shipping Only
From 123 Andrés: A copy of the CD Arriba Abajo (digital copy if outside the US)
From Spanish Playground: Set of books, crafts, and toys from Latin America – US Shipping Only
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From World Music with Daria: Set of maracas and a Spanish fan – US Shipping Only
From Gus on the Go: Spanish Alphabet Print (US Shipping Only) & single-use promo code for Spanish for kids language app
2nd Prize
From Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer: A print copy of Cántale a tu bebé with music download – US Shipping Only
From 123 Andrés: A copy of the CD Uno, Dos, Tres, Andrés! (digital copy if outside the US)
From Spanish Playground: Set of books, crafts, and toys from Latin America – US Shipping Only
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From Lee and Low Books: Martí’s Song for Freedom/Martí y sus versos por la libertad; Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora del arcoíris; Mamá the Alien/Mamá la extraterreste; Marisol McDonald and the Monster/Marisol McDonald y el monstruo – US Shipping Only
3rd Prize
From Carole P. Roman: Set of If You Were Me and Lived In… books on Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Portugal, and the Mayan Empire – US Shipping Only
From Mister G: A copy of the new CD Mundo Verde/Green World (digital copy if outside the US)
From Sarah Aroeste: A copy of the new Ladino/English bilingual picture book Ora de Despertar/Time to Wake Up – US Shipping Only
From Arte Público Press: Picture books Esteban de Luna, Baby Rescuer! / Esteban de Luna, ¡rescatador de bebés!, The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, Dalia’s Wondrous Hair / El cabello maravilloso de Dalia, Grandma’s Chocolate / El chocolate de Abuelita, I Kick the Ball / Pateo el balón, Level Up / Paso de nivel, A Surprise for Teresita / Una sorpresa para Teresita – US Shipping Only
Bonus Prizes
We are giving away an extra copy of the CD Mundo Verde/Green World from Mister G (US Shipping Only) and up to 10 digital downloads of this brand new album: Watch a video of the title track!
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Christa Jimenez
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[…] September 29 Pura Vida Moms on Multicultural Kid Blogs: Costa Rican Food – 9 Favorite Recipes […]