With a privileged geographical location, Costa Rica is a biological and cultural bridge that has allowed the movement and meeting of plant and animal species, as well as cultures from the northern and southern parts of the continent, for thousands of years. This also includes the cultural encounter that took place in 1492.

Although the country is small and covers only 0.03% of the planet’s surface, it has the privilege of being home to 5% of the world’s existing biodiversity. About 25.58% of its territory is protected under various forms of conservation.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

This translates into a great variety of foods, from fruits and vegetables to meats and seafood. As a result, four well-defined culinary regions have emerged, shaped by geography and cultural development:

  • The Western and Eastern Central Valley,
  • Guanacaste and the Northern Zone,
  • Puntarenas,
  • Limón.

A Cultural Mosaic

Costa Rica’s history has been shaped by the influence of different cultural groups. These include Indigenous peoples from the Mesoamerican and Intermediate Areas, with strong Caribbean influences, as well as the arrival of the Spanish, who in turn brought Sephardic Jews and Africans.

This cultural mixing was reflected in food, both in the variety of products and in the ways they were prepared. Indigenous peoples primarily used corn, beans, tubers such as potatoes, cassava, and ñampí, as well as squash. The Spanish, meanwhile, introduced milk, cream, butter, cheese, rice, wheat, sugarcane, and new animals.

Later, thanks to the coffee boom in the mid-19th century, many immigrants arrived in the country over the following 100 years. They came from Spain, Italy, Syria, Greece, Lebanon, Turkey, southern France, the United States, Jamaica, Aruba, the Bahamas, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Poland, as well as from Asia. To a lesser extent, immigrants also came from Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Cuba, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. Together, they helped shape the multicultural character of Costa Rican cuisine, which had already been diversifying since pre-colonial times.

Indigenous Cuisine

All this cultural mixing has created a common culinary foundation throughout the country, based primarily on dishes such as gallo pinto, casado, picadillos, olla de carne, gallos, empanadas, tamales, fresh fruit, and coffee.

Of course, each region has its own characteristics, mainly shaped by the availability of specific products and cultural influences. The Caribbean, for example, is known for strong flavors with spicy and sweet notes, influenced by coconut, ginger, chile panameño, plantains, and other ingredients. These elements come together in dishes such as rice and beans, plantain tart, rondón, patí, and others.

In Guanacaste, rice, corn, meat, fermented foods, and the traditional clay oven play a central role, giving rise to preparations such as tanelas, chichas, and pozol. Puntarenas, on the other hand, stands out for its freshness and acidity, with dishes such as ceviche, vigorón, and churchill.

In the central region, we find seasonal products such as pejibaye, itabo flowers, and chiverre, which are combined with corn, rice, beans, eggs, meats, potatoes, and other ingredients to create casados, empanadas, gallos, soups, and many other dishes. All this versatility brings us to the present day.

A Taste of Contemporary Cuisine

Despite having, as we have seen, a rich culinary heritage, there are not many restaurants dedicated specifically to Costa Rican cuisine. However, we should not confuse the traditional food mentioned in the previous section, represented by the thousands of sodas and traditional restaurants throughout the country, with restaurants that seek to reinterpret these traditions using local products and focusing on creativity and experience.

Nevertheless, interesting culinary proposals have emerged throughout the country in recent years. In July 2020, Joan Roca, one of the world’s leading chefs, said that “we must start thinking with a greater awareness of sustainability. Recycling, reusing, and wasting less food. This will encourage people to create authentic dishes rooted in their culture and their land, making the most of what they have. And if all chefs begin to understand this, it will become a trend: being authentic and cooking with what you have nearby. Differentiating yourself from other places by doing your own thing, not only based on your region but also on your own way of understanding your cuisine.”

In Costa Rica, this trend has gradually become more established. Restaurants, as well as suppliers and producers themselves, are contributing to its development. They seek to generate broader benefits through a holistic approach that goes beyond commercial interests. They want their products to stand out because of what they represent, the networks and partnerships they create, and the creative process behind the final product.

This results in better products and healthier processes, creating a synergy between chefs and producers that allows for greater creativity and integration.

“But we should not confuse traditional food (…) with restaurants that seek to reinterpret traditions using local products and focusing on creativity and experience.”

Understanding a product is key to knowing how to use it in the kitchen. Cas, for example, is a fruit that is highly representative of Costa Rica. It is characterized by its refreshing flavor and its combination of acidity and sweetness. We can compare it to a lime and use it in ceviches, pair it with seafood, or even combine it with rich proteins such as pork. We can also make cas barbecue sauce, among other preparations.

This trend is only beginning to take hold in our country, and we are all responsible for helping it grow. We can do so by supporting small-scale producers, visiting local businesses, and encouraging those who seek to do something different through gastronomy while highlighting national products.

TO REMEMBER
  • With more than 5% of the world’s biodiversity, Costa Rica has a great variety of foods.
  • In Costa Rica, the trend of exploring new recipes based on traditional ingredients is becoming increasingly popular.
  • We should not confuse “traditional food” with restaurants that seek to reinterpret Costa Rican cuisine.

Fabián Romero Jara
Owner, Manager, and Chef of Restaurante 11.47
IG: 11.47Aranjuez