"Visiting Central and Latin America" Provincia de San José by whvcebu

Whereever you are in a restaurant in Costa Rica, if it doesn't have rice and beans, it isn't tico (other word for Costa Rican)! Rice and black beans are everyday foods and part of every Costa Rican's diet, whether gallo pinto (fried rice and beans cooked with spices) for breakfast, a casado for lunch, or a black bean soup (ugly looking but delicious) for dinner. The word casado literally means married man, and it is the name given to a big, hearty plate of rice and beans with meat, macarrones (noodles), maduros (sweet plantains), and cabbage and tomato salad, which wives would prepare for their husbands to take when they worked the fields. Tamales and chicharrones (deep-fried pork rind) are also typical foods. (Remindes me of the Cicaron of the Philippines) Comida típica (native dishes) in Costa Rica can best be described as tasty, not spicy. Salsa Lizano has become Costa Rica's number one condiment and you're almost guaranteed to find it on every table if it's not spicing up your meal already. Sodas, the small diners you can find at almost every corner, will become your best friend if you're looking for flavorful, home-style cooking at inexpensive prices.

The food is generally good and not expensive, whereas the restaurantes are larger and usually much more expensive. (Photo: courtesy of GA Cafe, Costa Rica)