Quite a few tourists leave Costa Rica disappointed with what they perceive as a narrow range of culinary options. This feeling is exacerbated by the unwritten rule that every meal, from breakfast to late night snack, should feature some combination of rice, beans and corn tortillas. While this grain combination is ever-present in restaurants across the country, it belies the following wonderful and inexpensive local dishes that everyone should try beyond gallopinto and casado.

Olla de Carne

It may seem hearty, but it is actually a light meal. Olla de carne is a dish that is more of a soup than a stew, and it does not really feature that much meat. It is quite simple in preparation: Broth is made out of a bony or cartilaginous beef cut, which bears little meat for actual consumption; in fact, a “meatless” version of olla de carne calls for packaged beef bouillon. What makes olla de carne thoroughly enjoyable is the large chunks of vegetables that are cooked slowly in the broth and spices mix; these include: Yucca (cassava), squash, potato, cabbage, plantain, carrots, and others. A serving of freshly-cooked rice (it has to be fresh or it does not count) accompanies the beef-vegetable broth, and diners are encouraged to lightly soak the rice.

Chicharrones

Roasted and fried pork rinds with fried yucca, a cabbage salad and pico de gallo or a homemade, spicy vinaigrette is a staple dish served at many bars and traditional restaurants across Costa Rica. The cut of pork meat and the preparation are essential when making this dish, which calls for the extraction of lard from slowly roasting the pork on a spit. This lard is later used to fry the pork rinds and the yucca. The pico de gallo and corn tortillas must be freshly made, and the fried yucca can be replaced with vegetables from the olla de carne pot as seen in the picture above. This is a dish that is better enjoyed with ice-cold beer.

Fried Cassava with Patacones

Yucca and plantain are two ever-present items in kitchens across Costa Rica, and they are perfect for enjoying together. There’s a particular style of shredded and fried yucca served for breakfast that may seem like latkes to some Jewish visitors; in fact, they can be made kosher with the proper hashgacha (hechsher) ingredients. Patacones are green plantain slices that are fried, smashed and fried again before they are thoroughly salted, preferably with sea salt as it is the custom in the Caribbean province of Limon. The yucca is cut into snack-sized quarters and deep fried. This dish is usually enjoyed with a mayonnaise-based pink sauce or pico de gallo.