Costa Rican Caribbean Food

By the time we made the article about Costa Rican Food, we noticed that our Caribbean food deserves its own article because it’s so varied  and representative of the afro culture that some subtitle wouldn’t suffice. 

Let’s take a look at some of our favorite Caribbean dishes made in Costa Rica and explore the many ways coconut and hot peppers go together.

• Caribbean Rice and Beans is a mix of rice and beans with coconut lined and panamanian pepper. It can be sided with chicken, seafood, beef tail, patacones, fries or salad. We highly  recommend that you ask for rice and beans in different places in Limon because preparation can vary from site to site. 
• We already covered our regular casado in the previous article about Costa Rican food but in the Caribbean you can find a Bochinche that is very similar but with rice, mashed beans, patacones, meat portions and salad. 
• Rondon (Run down) is a soup made of seafood, meat, coconut milk, spices, hot peppers and a lot of vegetables and tubers. The mixture of flavors make this dish a whole experience itself. It has African roots and is called Obe. It earned its name because communities came together with some ingredients per family and made this soup for the members of the neighborhood. 
• Pati is kind of an empanada filled with meat, spices and hot peppers. 
• Plantinta (plantain tart) is a sweet pati filled with plantain and  red food coloring.
• The most common regional beverage is called Hiel or Agua de Sapo. Is made with candy cap, ginger, lemon and water and served with a lot of ice.
• The Chicha is another beverage of this zone made of fermented corn in clay pots and has indigenous roots. 
• There is a black bread eaten normally for breakfast or a midday snack called pan bon that also has raisins and fruits.
• If you are in the Caribbean side of Costa Rica or in any beach here, you can find in the menus the option of a whole fried fish sided with patacones or fries and salad.
• You might be familiarized with onion rings but it is common in the Caribbean to find squid rings and the texture is incredible. 
• Buñuelos are made of lined yucca made in balls and fried, then they are topped with white sugar. Is a sweet snack to side with coffee.
• Fusion cuisine comes in delicious ways sometimes and 2 examples are made in the Caribbean that are spaghettis with lobster and pizza with seafood. They are great and can be found in Puerto Viejo, Limon. 

Limon autochthonous food have strong influences of indigenous communities accustomed to hunting, fishing and cultivating their own vegetables and fruits and also from other Afro Caribbean places. Most recently, Asian cultures like Chinese and Indian have been blended in cooking styles of the Caribbean, adding spices and ingredients that we didn’t have before.

Herbs and infusions are very enforced in our culture and natural remedies. If you are feeling sick, you can ask any old lady what you need to eat or drink to feel better and more often than usual they will make you feel better.