When it comes to food, Costa Ricans still rely heavily on traditional staples rather than expensive imported food and drink. While imported foods can be found while visiting Costa Rica, they are normally quite expensive and hard to come by. For these reasons, many visitors adapt to the simple, traditional Costa Rican diet that can be found easily and inexpensively in all restaurants in this great country.
A typical Costa Rican diet includes a lot of rice and beans. Meat is sometimes added to the diet, but there is an apparent absence of vegetables. Foods are normally heavy in oils and fried. There is an emphasis on home-style cooking with wholesome meals to be found at reasonable prices.
For breakfast, the most popular dish enjoyed by Costa Ricans is Gallo Pinto. This dish consists of fried rice and black beans. When it comes time for lunch, left over Gallo Pinto is simply enhanced with the addition of cabbage, fried platains, and some sort of meat.
Even though Costa Rica is surrounded on two sides by ocean, seafood is still a rarity and quite expensive in this country. Meat staples include chicken, simple fish, and beef. Seafood such as lobster, shrimp, oysters, and exotic fish is hard to come by.
Surprisingly, Costa Rica which is known for exporting coffee is hard pressed when it comes to fixing a palatable brew to offer to its visitors. Coffee served in Costa Rica is usually strong, bitter, and mixed with milk to make it more appealing.
While coffee might not be your best bet when choosing a beverage in Costa Rica, the country has a whole lot more to offer when it comes to national beverages. Horchata is one of the most popular drinks in the region and is a cinnamon flavored cornmeal drink. Also popular is chan, a slimy drink made from seeds. A delicious drink made out of fruit salad floating on cola and water is called frutas. And guaro, the nation’s favorite alcoholic drink, is extremely potent but nearly tasteless.
Granted, dining in Costa Rica might take some getting used to especially if you’re used to eating a wide variety of cuisines and imports. But the meals are wholesome, tasty, and cheap. There are also no stomach ailment concerns with Costa Rican foods as there are with other foods served in Central American countries.
by David Lovendahl, Costa Vista Marketing
California gourmet cuisine is marked by fusion of different culinary influences from Central and South America to Mexico and Asia. Most of the popular chefs of California gourmet cuisine are known for keeping their dishes simple but innovative, always fresh and carefully prepared using the best ingredients, usually those found locally.
Some common local ingredients that are often used in California cuisine include artichokes, avocados, fresh dates and figs, sprouts and persimmons. Of course, in California cuisine these ingredients often come straight from the farmer's market. California gourmet cuisine in the northern coast will include salmon, oysters and Dungeness crabs whenever these are in season.
While California is the birthplace of many popular fast-food chains it is also the home of top-rated California gourmet cuisine restaurants, the most well known is The French Laundry in Napa Valley.
The owner and chef of The French Laundry is the well-respected Thomas Keller. Some examples of c.g. cuisine served by The French Laundry include Surf and Turf, which is a dish of lobster tail and sauted foie gras and Oyster and Pearls, which is a dish of oyster with caviar presented on warm custard of pearl tapioca.
Because of the diversity of California gourmet cuisine, exploring it is an adventure in itself. There are California gourmet cuisine retreats that offer to combine culinary classes while exploring different elements that make up California gourmet cuisine such as the vineyards, olive oil producers, ethnic food markets, and farmer's markets.
Below are some examples of California cuisine:
California Avocado Fruit Salad
Prepare the dressing by whisking together 2 cups of olive oil, 2 tablespoons each of raspberry vinegar and toasted chopped walnuts, 1 teaspoon of grated lime peel, and 1 tablespoon each of fresh lime juice and chopped fresh basil leaves, and 1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper and dry mustard. Set the dressing aside.
Combine 1 10 oz pack of mixed baby greens, 3 peeled kiwis, sliced in half, 2 peeled and segmented grapefruits, and 2 cups of sliced strawberries in a large salad bowl. Pour over the dressing. Toss the salad. Top with 8 avocado slices.
California Poached Persimmons
Stem 6 firmly-ripe persimmons. Peel, discard seeds and cut them each into eight wedges.
Place the persimmons in a saucepan and combine with half a cup of dry white wine, 3/4 cup of fresh strained orange juice, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of peeled and minced fresh gingerroot and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Stir occasionally, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the persimmons become tender.
Once the persimmons are cooked, transfer them to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Boil the syrup until the liquid is about 1/2 cup, and pour this over the persimmons. You can serve this dish warm or chill it and serve over ice cream.
Both Karen Lovendahl & Rene Graeber are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Karen Lovendahl has sinced written about articles on various topics from Kitchen Home Improvement, Computers and The Internet and Property Investment. Costa Vista Land (http://www.costavistaland.com) is 'developing paradise' in Costa Rica. The company buys raw land in large quantities after they have thoroughly surveyed and researched all details. Because of this, Costa Vista Land acquires their. Karen Lovendahl's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.
Rene Graeber has sinced written about articles on various topics from Internet Marketing, Camping and Recreation and Sports. If you want to get more information about eating please visit my blog at . Rene Graeber's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.