The striking diverse landscapes, laid back culture, and immense adrenaline-pumping adventures make Costa Rica an ideal destination for a family vacation. Apart from the endless unique activities, there are quintessential delicacies to give you the true essence of this beautiful country. Apart from enjoying the sunset while sipping a margarita on the beach, look forward to taking your taste buds on a culinary adventure.

Delicacies to give you an essential Costa Rica experience

Pipa fria

An ice-cold Pipa fria is what you need to beat the country’s intense heat. Look forward to grabbing one from the various vendors at the beach. These sell this refreshing coconut treat at about 500 to 1000 Colones, the local currency. You can ask to have a happy coconut with the vendor adding rum.

Regardless of whether you’ve been playing in the waves or laying out in the sun, look forward to quenching your thirst with the cool water of coconut freshly plucked from trees nearby. You can even enjoy your drink without a straw. This drink is prepared in the Costa Rican way. The vendor will pull a coconut from the cooler and hack off the top using a huge machete with amazing precision.

Chorreador de Cafe

The chorreador is a traditional Costa Rican coffee maker. After booking one of the best family all inclusive Costa Rica packages, look forward to enjoying this dark beverage prepared the local way. The local coffee maker has a contraption with a basic structure of a regular coffee maker. However, this uses different items to do the same work.

There are various chances of enjoying this coffee including a visit to a local coffee shop, farm, or Costa Rican restaurant. Any local here will be willing to teach you how to make coffee using the chorreador. Look forward to enjoying coffee right from the plantation. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the highest quality coffee while savoring its delicious smell.

Gallo pinto

This is the national dish in the country and locals have this favorite dish throughout the day. You can have it for breakfast with a cup of local coffee. Salsa Lizano is the signature sauce for this meal and has a tangy flavor and dark color. Men here put this sauce in rice, meat, and beans. The sauce is essential in all food for giving it the flavor it lacks. Most households here just add Salsa Lizano to season their meat. To enjoy a more Costa Rican meal, opt for chilera. This is spicy pickled vegetables common in most local restaurants.

Casado

Gallo Pinto is a local delicacy for breakfast and casado is for lunch. This typical midday meal is a combination of various foods including:

  • Cooked rice
  • Beans
  • Pasta salad
  • Plantains
  • Meat or fish

Other food that might be served with casado includes tortillas with sliced cheese, French fries, corn, avocado, picadillo, vegetable stew, or eggs. In some restaurants, casado comes with refresco.

Plantains

These look like big bananas but much starchier and not all sweet. Plantains are prepared differently in Costa Rica. The plantains are not for consuming alone but fried or used as a side dish with meals including casado and gallo pinto. Fried plantains are great snacks and appetizers as tostorones. These are similar to homemade French fries. Flattened deep-fried plantains make patacones. All these meals need some pico de gallo and sea salt to become more delicious.

Refrescos

This is a favorite refreshment for locals and travelers. The fresh fruit drink is widely available because of abundant tropical fruits across the country. Some of the most popular fruits in Costa Rica include:

  • Cas (sour guava)
  • Piña (pineapple)
  • Sandia (watermelon)
  • Mora (blackberry)
  • Fresa (strawberry)
  • Tamarindo (tamarind)
  • Guanábana (soursop)
  • Maracuyá (passion fruit)

When selecting the mix for your fruit, natural is better than pulp. Milk drinks are thicker and creamier and are sweetened with condensed milk or sugar. Other water-based drinks also need sweetening with sugar. Other favorite drinks in the country include horchata made from soaked rice, clove, cinnamon, and condensed milk. Resbaladera is the traditional drink of the country made with rice and barley.

Chifrijo

This compact dish is served in local bars. Chifrijo is a bowl of rice and beans with fried pork meat or skins topping. The additional topping includes pico de gallo, avocado, lime, and chimichurri. Nothing beats chifrego when it comes to going down with an ice-cold beer. You can accompany your meal with homemade plantain tortilla chips.

Bottom line

Taking a vacation in Costa Rica should be on your travel bucket list. Here, there is a lot for the whole family. Booking an all inclusive family package will allow your family to have a blast in this beautiful country. Look forward to taking your taste buds on a roller coaster with some of the local delicacies highlighted above.