SAN JOSE – Among the many blessings Costa Rica is known for, excellence in gastronomy is not one of them. When it comes to the culinary arts, the vast majority of Tico offerings are limited to dishes that highlight freshness and simplicity, but not much else. For all the quality ingredients that our land produces, the rigors of French cuisine or the innovations of Peruvian chefs are mostly absent from our kitchens. All this is about to change, however, thanks to the first Feria del Gustico, an event that took place over the weekend in the former Aduana building in San Jose. With the right amount of interest and support, Tico gastronomy could soon develop and gain notoriety.

The Feria del Gustico was an event coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Costa Rican Chamber of Exporters (CADEXCO) in English. The motivation behind this event wasn’t so much culinary in the beginning; it was rather an effort to encourage farmers and foodstuffs producers to become aware of the great potential our land can offer to cooks and food lovers worldwide. Costa Rica is a country known for the many gifts she bestows to farmers and consumers alike. Agricultural entrepreneurs who practice principles of organic farming as much as they can are greatly rewarded, and there is a general sentiment towards refraining from controversial mass farming techniques that could negatively impact our land. As a result, Ticos have a great time each weekend at the local farmer markets, and demand for high-quality agricultural products is growing.

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A wide range of classes and monthly cultural events provide new outlets for education, culinary interests and entertainment.

New on the culinary scene in Costa Rica, the Underground Cooking Club is making waves with their unique class structure and monthly cultural events. Using Okra Restaurant in Barrio Escalante as their stage, the Underground Cooking Club creates a setting where people can learn, socialize and enjoy something different.

Founder, Chef Chandler Tomayko, is committed to quality. Each class is taught by a professional chef in a fully equipped classroom with all necessary ingredients provided. The completely hands-on system allows students to have the confidence to repeat learned skills at home. After cooking a delicious meal, students are ushered to the dining room where dinner is served and the socializing continues.

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The idea for this article came from the Costa Rica Living Yahoo Group, where Monsanto was discussed in detail by members of the public at large around the world. We felt compelled to bring this discussion external from the closed forum on the Yahoo group to dispel any misconceptions. The Costa Rica Star does not have an opinion in this matter, we are neutral and non biased, the content below is the thoughts and opinions of the submitting author only. *Note that you have to sign in with your Yahoo account credentials in order to join the above mentioned Yahoo group and see the discussion threads.

The sun-kissed tomatoes shown in the picture accompanying this article were grown using principles of organic farming. This usually means that the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides has been avoided, that the crops have been rotated, that composting has taken place in the farm they are grown, or that other ancient techniques have been used from seed to harvest. They are not genetically modified, either. All these factors mean that agricultural biotech giant Monsanto did not make any money off those tomatoes.

Monsanto is a powerful multinational agribusiness enterprise based in the United States. Its headquarters office is in Missouri, but they have a presence in more than 50 countries around the world, but not in Costa Rica. In 2004, Monsanto unceremoniously withdrew from the country after succumbing to pressure from ecological and social organizations over the company’s Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) business. Monsanto unsuccessfully courted the Abel Pacheco administration and the then-ruling Christian Social Unity, as well as the powerful National Liberation Party (PLN) to allow their GMO business to develop in Costa Rica; particularly its line of transgenic corn products like the YieldGard (MON 810) and the controversial MON 863 strain.

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The 5th Annual Atenas Chili Cookoff is February 12th and is created to help the Hogar de Vida (Homes of Life) for children in Costa Rica. Please join us. You can see more information about the chili event and activities by clicking here and visiting the official website. Here is a map to find the location.

I Didn’t Know Beans About Chili
by Patricia Diekroger.

Since I am on the committee for the 5th Annual Atenas Chili Cook Off (early reminder: please keep the Feb 12, 2012 date open) I decided to do a little research about chili.

I was surprised to learn something any true chili cook already knows: chili doesn’t have beans! I also learned that Chili peppers were native to the New World and were used centuries ago by the Indians of Central and South America.

Some people claim that chili, as we know it, originated in Mexico. That is possible, however, to Mexicans chili refers only to the spicy vegetable not to any particular dish. In 1737 an immigrant in Arizona first described a stew made with chili peppers, lard, and meat. Though it wasn’t until the mid 1800′s, when a San Antonio settler ground some dried spices and chili peppers, that a blended chili powder was created. This led to the spread of chili stew recipes across the southwest United States and onward.

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Every Saturday in Escazu central there is a large gathering of farmers and tradesmen from in and around San Jose valley who come to sell their products and services. This is a very good time to get some of the best produce and meats available in Costa Rica for a reasonable price. Starting at around 8am just north of the Catholic Church in the center of Escazu, you will find a sea of booths with variations of colors and scents. Big fresh tomatoes, piles of bananas, ice cold coconut water, and more are all available at your finger tips. If you are getting jaded with the experience at your local Super Mercado, consider making the trip to Escazu next Saturday and ongoing. You will not regret it as you will save money and have amazing healthy food for your family while at the same time supporting local Ticos who are self employed.

Earlier this morning, our photographer for The Costa Rica Star went to the Escazu Farmers Market to get some photos and see what was happening. You can check out the photo album that he took on our Facebook page, but below we have picked some of the better photos that were taken.

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Less than a decade ago, choosing a bottle of wine in Costa Rica was neither exciting nor satisfying; the quality was disappointing, the choice minimal and it could even end with the throwing of the beverage down the drain.

Some supermarkets offered an unexciting choice of Chilean and Argentinian wines that were just about drinkable while the European and US choice was more often than not an expensive mistake. In 2006, due to a rising demand, the wine industry saw a rapid growth of 30%: While the Chilean and Argentinian improved dramatically, the wine buffs of Costa Rica started to enjoy excellent vintage from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, together with an awesome variety of labels, grapes, wineries, at a wide price range. There are now more distributors and retails outlets that supply restaurants, hotels and supermarkets also selling to individuals who wish to start building their cellars. Then last year saw another 15% rise in the consumption of wine, and this placed Costa Rica amongst the more serious wine drinking countries. The quality of Chilean wines can be outstanding, and this for a very good reason! Indeed many Chilean and Argentinian wines are pre-Phylloxera; that was a European blight that occurred around 1850, and that means that these South American wines have the true and intended taste of the vineyard as they reached the New World prior to the spread of the disease in France! This disease was so powerful and caused so much damage that eventually the French had to graft the vines onto North American rootstocks in order to produce anything drinkable!

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A traditional Costa Rican meal that is prepared around Christmas and the New Year is leg of pork, heavily seasoned, and marinated for days. Each canton or city of Costa Rica has their own versions of this food recipe, but we are going to look at the recipe that comes from San Ramon Costa Rica and the Mora family. They believe that cooking anything first comes with love and tender care on all of the ingredients. For this leg of pork you will need the following ingredients:

- Tender leg of pork, as big as you can find, with or without bone
- Bombon powder, found in most grocery stores in Costa Rica
- Salsa Lizano, a staple here in Costa Rica
- 2 liters of Coca Cola soda pop
- Pepper and salt
- Oregano powder
- Garlic cloves

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You don’t have to go to South America to try some of the best food coming from that region as in Costa Rica you can find excellent options in international restaurants, and when it comes to enjoy either the Peruvian or the Argentinean cuisine, the options offered below are the stand outs in the central valley of San Jose.

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In a globalized world where hamburgers and fries rule the fast food markets, chicken wings are now becoming just as popular, and this is no different for Costa Rica, where this dish continues to gain the acceptance of locals and foreigners alike. If you happen to be in the country and want to try the best bbq or buffalo chicken wings in town, this article is for you. Don’t forget your paper towel and enough cold beer to kill a small horse.

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