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Gallo Pinto
Costa Rica
Traditional Food
Most traditional dishes in Costa Rica consist of rice and beans with
other ingredients like chicken or fish and different sorts of
vegetables, which is why they are really cheap.
The most common dish for breakfast is Gallo Pinto which consists of rice
mixed with black beans, served with natilla (sour cream), eggs
(scrambled) and fried plantain. Costa Ricans usually drink a cup of
coffee or fresh fruit juice with it.
For lunch, Casados (beans, rice) are served with some sort of meat or
fish and a salad, fried plantains, white cheese and corn tortilla. The
difference between Gallo Pinto and Casado is that in Casados, rice and
the bean are served side by side and not mixed.
There is no typical meal for dinner, but another typical main dish in
Costa Rica is arroz con pollo (rice with chicken) which can be served
with different vegetables from the area like camote, chayote and yuca.
Seafood is also common thanks to the country’s proximity to both the
Pacific and Caribbean.
Small dishes before or in between meals are called Bocas, like black
bean dip, chimichurri (tomatoes and onions in lime juice) served with
tortilla chips or ceviche (fish/ shrimp with onion in lime juice).
Tamale is a seasoned corn meal which is covered in plantains leaves. In
the inside it has rice, beans, vegetables and meat.
There are also other traditional sweet corn dishes like pozol (corn
soup) or chorreadas (corn pancakes).
Typical soups in Costa Rica are also very popular, such as olla de carne
which is a soup with beef, potatoes, carrots, chayote, plantains and
yucca, and the sopa negra, black bean soup.
There are a lot of traditional Costa Rican desserts like arroz con leche
(rice with milk). The rice is cooked in milk with sugar, cinnamon and
other ingredients.
Ensalada de frutas (fruit salad) consists of different pieces of
tropical fruits, like papaya, banana, maracuya and many more.
One of the most common desserts is called Tres Leches, a cake bathed in
evaporated, condensed and regular milk with a whipped cream top.
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OUR CULTURE
Humans to Costa Rica were between 10000 and 7000 B.C. In Turrialba’s
valley quarry areas and some
factories for making typical tools were found. The settlers from this
period were nomadic bands, about 20 to 30 hunters and collectors
members. Some animals that they hunt to eat still exist today.
From the development of the Meso-Americana cultures, the northwest side
of the country fell little by little under the influence. The towns of
the Intermediate Area included almost all the Costa Rican territory,
Eastern half of Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and the Ecuadorian Pacific,
they all worked like a bridge between the Meso-Americans cultures and
the Andean Area. Through them the technological interchange between both
zones became possible; but it had a consequence among other things, the
development of the metallurgy in Mexico and in Central America.
Colonial period
In 1502, the navigator Christopher Columbus, in his fourth and last
travel to the New World, anchors in the city of Limon, specifically in
Uvita Island.
The beginnings of the establishments began in 1522. During this period,
in Century XVI, the natives of the country were conquered by the
Spanish. Costa Rica turn in the southern province of the Spanish
territory, now called the New Spain. The capital of the province was
located in Cartago. In 1513 Vasco Nuñez de Balboa discovered the Pacific
Coast. Later the lake of Nicaragua was discovered by Gil Gonzalez
Davila, towards the years 1560. This territory continued being explored
by Juan de Cavallón and Juan Vázquez de Coronado. During the next three
hundred years, Spain administers this ree were they found gold degion as
part of the General Captain Post of Guatemala, under a military
governor. With optimism, the Spaniards had called “Costa Rica” an
important zonposits and other valued minerals in this territory.
Although thinking these lands were not as richer as they to thought,
compared with other provinces, they dedicate themselves especially to
the agriculture.
Independence
In 1821, Costa Rica joins Central American provinces in the statement of
independence for Spain, the 15th of September. After a brief period,
under the dominion of the Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide, Costa
Rica was part of the state in the United Provinces of Central America
between 1823 and 1839. In 1824 the capital of the country was changed to
San José, but it followed a period of rivalry with Cartago, old
providence capital.
Although all the recently independent Republics formed a Federation,
disputes of the country borders generated disagreements among them,
adding to the region unstable conditions. The northern province of
Guanacaste was annexed freely to Costa Rica in 1824.
Under the command of Tomas Guardia Gutierrez (1870-1882), Costa Rica
benefitted from great foreign investments in the railway routes and
other public equipment. The arrival in the country of the United Fruit
Company, allowed the development of the coastal plains in the South zone
of the country, also in the railway routes, as well as increase of the
infrastructures, simultaneously to the development, turned the country
on a independent state dependent on the international markets and the
foreign capitals.
Years later, the country lived on an era of peaceful and democracy, that
began in 1889, when the elections were considered, the first ones on
being honest and free in the whole history of the country.
20th Century
Costa Rica has avoided as far as possible, much of the violence that has
plagued Central America. From the last years of Century XIX, only two
single periods of strong violence have damage the democratic
development. In 1917, Federico Tinoco Granados governed like a dictator
for two years, after a coup.
In 1948 Jose Figueres Ferrer lead a raised armed for the Civil War of
Costa Rica rise, the result of a presidential election vitiated of
invalidity and fraud. The following year, Figueres himself abolished the
army, and since then, Costa Rica has been one of the few countries in
operating under the democratic system without the aid of an armed army.
The lost of 2000 soldiers in the 44 days of civil war was the bloodiest
fact in the history of Costa Rica in the Century XX, but the Assembly
create a constitution that guarantee the free elections with universal
suffrage and the aim of the armed army.
Figueres became a national hero, gaining the first election under the
new constitution in 1953. Since then, the country has carried out twelve
elections, the last one of them in the 2006.
Costa Rica has reached a relative standard top of life. At the moment,
the services, the electronic components and the tourism exceed to
agriculture like the industries of faster expansion and the main
currency sources.
Costa Rica Today
With an approximately of 5 million inhabitants and a territory of 51.100
Kilometers, Costa Rica is located in Central America, strategically
located like an union between North America and South America.
It has two important facing ports the Pacific Ocean and to the Atlantic
Ocean, they have 6 hours of distance among them. It has a constitutional
regime made up of three powers: Legislative, Executive and Judicial. Due
to their enormous wealth of flora and fauna and to the environmental
conscience of the population, 25% of the national territory has been
declared like protected areas.
Costa Ricans know in the world as “Ticos”, are entirely know mainly for
the respect to the family union, for continuing using old customs and
for making friends all over the country.
Tico is a colloquial term for a native of Costa Rica. A plural form is
Ticos. There are two explanations for the use of this word. One of the,
is because Tico is used as a diminutive suffix instead of using ito. The
second explanation of the word tico is for making little the word
“Hermanitico” which means a friendly and a respect word for calling each
other.
The Costa Ricans are very proud of their history; they continue reviving
old customs, like cooking on firewood stove, drinking coffee all
afternoons and going to church on Sundays and many more. The personal
appearance of every person is always clean and always good looking.
A cordial greeting as Buenos Dias (good morning) and Buenas Noches (good
night) will always describe Costa Rica. Means will shake your hand and
woman will kiss your cheek for saying hello or good bye. Costa Rica‘s
official religion is the Roman Catholicism, although there is a freedom
to practice any religion. Woman’s are accepted nationally and equally
professionals as men’s. Most of them are house householders, so this
means they are time fully workers.
Costa Rica Airport Transportation
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Northern Region
* Arenal Area
* Monteverde
North Pacific Region
* Liberia
Central Valley
* San Jose City
* Cartago and Turrialba
* Heredia
* Alajuela
* Sarapiqui
Caribbean Coast
* Cahuita
* Puerto Viejo
* Limon
* Parismina
* Tortuguero
Central Pacific
* Manuel Antonio
* Jaco Beach
* Mal Pais
* Montezuma
* Tambor
Southern Pacific
* Corcovado
* Dominical
* Perez Zeledon
* Golfito
Traditional Food
Arroz con Pollo
Beef Tamales
Chorreadas: Costa Rican Corn Pancakes
Sopa Negra
Arroz con Leche
Tres Leche
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