Costa Rican Cuisine (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Costa Rican cuisine is known for being tasty, yet fairly mild, with high reliance on fresh fruit and vegetables. The main staple, known as gallo pinto, consists of rice and beans. Gallo pinto is also known in some southern areas of Costa Rica as burra; though still recognized the name is rarely used. Also, Costa Rican gallo pinto is made with black beans, while Nicaraguans use red beans traditionally. Candy is an important dessert, which is served after every meal.For lunch, the traditional national dish is called a casado. It again consists of rice and beans served side by side instead of mixed. There will generally be some type of meat (carne asada, fish, pork chop or chicken) and a salad to round out the dish. There may also be some extras like fried plantain (patacones or maduro), a slice of white cheese, and/or corn tortillas in accompaniment. Salsa Lizano is ubiquitous as a condiment and as an ingredient in cooking various dishes, including gallo pinto.