--- title: Costa Rica Travel Blog | Costa Rican Cuisine description: Costa Rican Cuisine | Hundreds of articles on Costa Rica trip planning, Costa Rica travel, and saving money in Costa Rica! --- [CALL 1-844-694-4557 FOR MORE INFORMATION](tel:1.844.694.4557) - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/ArenalHillsLand/) - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ArenalHills) - [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/arenalhills/) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC15ANeTrvUz77KVj5Floeyg) - [Google+](https://plus.google.com/114921431580018746298) [![Arenal-Hills](https://blog.arenalhills.com/hubfs/ArenalHills_December2018/Image/Arenal-Hills-Desktop-Logo-178x78.png)](http://arenalhills.com) [![Arenal-Hills](https://blog.arenalhills.com/hubfs/ArenalHills_December2018/Image/Arenal-Hills-Mobile-Logo-148x66.png)](https://arenalhills.com/) - [BLOG](https://blog.arenalhills.com/) - [SCHEDULE TOUR](https://arenalhills.com/schedule-a-tour/) ## Costa Rica Travel Blog ## [COSTA RICA ON YOUR PLATE: FIVE TRADITIONAL FOODS TO TRY](https://blog.arenalhills.com/costa-rica-plate-five-traditional-foods-try) Posted by [shieldwatch](https://blog.arenalhills.com/author/shieldwatch) on May 22, 2017, 2:53:33 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) A trip to a new country is never complete unless you delve deep into its culture through its cuisine. After all, the food habits of a nation say much about it. Costa Rica’s high-fiber, well-rounded meals, for instance, more than explain the amazingly high happiness quotient of the country. Costa Rica as a nation is not a big admirer of red meat, sugary drinks, junk foods, processed food, and fatty dairy products like cheese. They would rather gorge on their Casado meals consisting of rice (gallo pinto) and beans, roasted pork, chicken and seafood, fried plantains, or a carrot, tomato, and cabbage salad. Their daily diets consist of fresh food items that contain very little to no preservatives and additives. This Central American country may not occupy a pride of place in the world gourmet map, but it does boast of a few traditional dishes worth trying. **Casado** A complete meal, Casado or Comida Tipica consists of beans, rice, red bell peppers, and onions. You can choose between pork and chicken as meat staple to go with. Don’t expect the meat to be fried; it is either grilled or sautéed. You will have to satiate your craving for fries with fried plantains. Every eatery in the country will serve you Casado, no matter what time of the day it is. You can have it either for lunch or dinner. **Ceviche** Before you cancel your plan of tasting ceviche because it is made of raw fish, think twice. Made with local tilapia or corvina (white sea bass), camarones (shrimp), or mixto (mixed seafood) tenderized with citrus juices and seasoned with finely chopped cilantro, garlic, hot and sweet pepper, onion, and celery, this appetizer is perfect as a hearty snack item for your beach day out. **Tamales** The Costa Rican versions of tamales contain a corn-based filling (masa) made with small pieces of vegetables and meat. Folded in a banana leaf, the filling is steamed in boiling water. **Chan** It is a sweet and slimy dish prepared by adding water to a few tablespoons of chan seed which has a lavender-like aroma. It has a calming effect on your body and mind. Farmer's markets are the best place to find an authentic version of the drink. **Dessert** What is a meal without a sweet and sinful roundup? Common Costa Rican desserts range from simple Orange Pound Cake (quequeseco) and rice pudding (arrozcon leche) to a more elaborate Sweet White Spaghetti Squash (Miel de Chiverre) and multilayered cake filled with dulce de leche (tortachilena). Some of the other yummy desserts include cold caramel custard (flan) and corn starch pudding (mazamorra). To experience the real Costa Rica, take a gastronomic journey through the country’s famous eateries. Better yet, live the experience whenever you want by purchasing a luxury, single-family style villa at Arenal Hills.  Call us today to learn more, [1-844-MY-HILLS](tel:1-844-694-4557). [Read More](https://blog.arenalhills.com/costa-rica-plate-five-traditional-foods-try) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.arenalhills.com/costa-rica-plate-five-traditional-foods-try#comments-listing) Topics: [arenal hills](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/arenal-hills), [Costa Rican Cuisine](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/costa-rican-cuisine) ## [Mouthwatering Staples of Costa Rican Cuisine](https://blog.arenalhills.com/mouthwatering-staples-of-costa-rican-cuisine) Posted by [Arenal Hills](https://blog.arenalhills.com/author/arenal-hills) on Mar 30, 2015, 2:18:11 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Costa Rica, in addition to its idyllic landscapes and enviable tropical climate, is well recognized for its delicious - and typically quite healthy - Latin American cuisine. Rice and beans are common features of Costa Rican cuisine which lend themselves to hearty meals full of vegetable proteins and vitamins. In this entry, we’ll take a look at a few of our favorite Costa Rican dishes. [Read More](https://blog.arenalhills.com/mouthwatering-staples-of-costa-rican-cuisine) 0 Comments [Click here to read/write comments](https://blog.arenalhills.com/mouthwatering-staples-of-costa-rican-cuisine#comments-listing) Topics: [Costa Rican Cuisine](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/costa-rican-cuisine), [Fresh Seafood](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/fresh-seafood), [Healthy Eating](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/healthy-eating), [Life In costa Rica](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/life-in-costa-rica), [Rice & Beans](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/rice-beans), [Vegetable Medleys](https://blog.arenalhills.com/tag/vegetable-medleys) [All posts](https://blog.arenalhills.com/all) ## Costa Rica Travel Blog ### Tips for the Costa Rica Traveler Hundreds of articles on Costa Rica trip planning, Costa Rica travel, and saving money in Costa Rica! 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