¡Qué Rico!
Recipes from the heart of Costa Rica
Gallo pinto for breakfast, casados for lunch, fresh tropical fruit all day, and coffee that ruins you for anything else. Costa Rican food is comfort food: rice, beans, plantains, slow-cooked meats, and everything fresh from the market.
Costa Rica’s national breakfast: rice and black beans sautéed with peppers, onions, cilantro, and Salsa Lizano. Every Tico family makes it a little differently, and mine taught me theirs. It’s the first recipe I tell everyone to try at home.
Absolutely, that’s half the point. Most Costa Rican staples are simple, forgiving recipes with lots of stirring and patting jobs for small hands. Making gallo pinto or patacones together is the best trip prep there is.
It’s on Amazon with 121 recipes, including family recipes you won’t find on the site. If you cook three things from it before your trip, you’ll land in Costa Rica already knowing what you love.
Eat at sodas, the small family-run restaurants where locals eat. Order the casado, try whatever fruit you can’t pronounce, and say yes to coffee anywhere it’s offered. My restaurant guides cover exactly where to go by region.
