In this Issue:

Costa Rica Cooking, Food, and Recipes
Costa Rica Casado & Gallo Pinto Recipe
Photos by Bill Beard

Editor's Note: We are taking this opportunity to explain a little about the most popular meal in Costa Rica (Casado) and the best place to order it (Soda). At the end we have the recipe for the most popular food in Costa Rica, Rice & Beans, mixed, it's called Gallo Pinto and is served three meals a day.

In Costa Rica, the word 'Soda' means 'small restaurant serving typical cuisine". I hear that this is a legal distinction between a "restaurant" and a "soda". "Soda" are generally cheaper I think because of... well of having lower prices :o) - and not having to charge tax. They are 'typically' excellent. I look for any excuse to eat at a Soda. They generally charge somewhere around $2.60 to $4.00 for a typical plate, also known as a casado.

'Casado' is a Spanish term that means 'married', and that is exactly what the plate is; a marriage of basic features for a complete meal. There are always rice, beans and a salad and usually fried bananas and tortillas as well. All that is left to order is the type of meat you want..

What food is called in Costa Rica:
    carne en salsa - beef in sauce
    pollo  - chicken
    pollo en salsa - chicken in sauce
    pollo frito - fried chicken
    chuleta de cerdo - pork chop
    bistek -  slice of beef
    pescado - fish
    filet al ajillo - filet of fish with butter/garlic sauce
    arroz con - rice with..
    pollo , cerdo (pork), camarones (shrimp)
    mariscos (seafood)
 
Drinks:
    Natural - a fruit drink made in a blender. You can order it with mixed with milk or water ("en leche o en agua?"). Generally offering:
    ~papaya
    ~mora (blackberry)
    ~guanabana (I don't know the english for this but it is heavenly)
    ~piña (pineapple)
    ~cas (?)
    ~sandía (watermelon)
    ~uva (grape)

    te frio - iced tea
    cafe negro (black) y
    cafe con leche (with milk)
Cerveza - beer
    Imperial, Bavaria (Dark & Clear), Pilsen etc.

How to order a casado in Costa Rica:
When you enter a Soda, the waitress might approach you without a menu. This can be a little un-nerving at first since foreigners are generally accustomed to the rhythm in a dining establishment of being given a menu, perhaps ordering a drink, and then being left to decide what to order. In a soda, things are a little different. This is because sodas generally offer the same menu, and so you are supposed to know it. This is not to say that they are all the same because they are not. Each proprietor has their own unique touch that they bring to the casado.

So if you ask, "Que tienen?" meaning, "what do y'all have?" the server will undoubtedly hit you with a rapid stream of spanish that is generally a list of what can come with your casado. "Pollo frito, carne en salsa, bistek, filet, chuleta de cerdo, pollo en salsa, picadillo, etc.." Now, because of having read this article you will know what to do. If you don't speak Spanish, what you'll want to do is nod knowingly and be pensive as you decide. You should have memorized what you like before hand so that after having waited a moment while deciding on the undecipherable list that the server just blasted you with, you can say, "con pescado por favor", "with fish please", or whatever it is that you want. If you totally blow it on the ordering, don't worry. You might just love what you end up with. Hey, lifes an adventure. right?
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Gallo Pinto

Description: Gallo Pinto is eaten nationwide. Most people eat it for breakfast. Others for lunch or dinner.

 
 
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked long grain rice
1 cup red or black small cooked beans ("frijol criollo")
1/2 cup white onions, diced
3 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons coriander
Salt and Worcestershire sauce to taste
Lizano Sauce to taste("Salsa Lizano" is a mild sauce used on every day cooking in Costa Rica)

 
Recipe Properties:
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high. Add onions. Cook until golden brown. Add beans and their gravy. Stir over low-medium heat for a minute. Add rice, Worcestershire sauce, and coriander. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Serve immediately and add the Lizano Sauce to taste.