Costa Rican Cuisine

Costa Rican cuisine, known as comida tipica, is the most gentle and unadorned of Central American kitchens, reflecting a national character that values peace, simplicity, and pura vida (the pure life). Indigenous Huetar, Chorotega, and Bribri peoples cultivated corn, beans, squash, and cacao before Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century. Unlike much of Latin America, Costa Rica developed as a relatively egalitarian society of small farmers, and its cuisine reflects this democratic, unflashy character.

Spanish colonial influence provided rice, beef, and Mediterranean seasonings. Afro-Caribbean communities on the Atlantic coast contribute coconut-based rice and beans, jerk-style preparations, and tropical fruit-forward dishes.

Chinese immigration added a layer of stir-fry and noodle influence. Costa Rica's cuisine is distinguished by its mildness — it is among the least spicy in Latin America — and by its reliance on simple, well-prepared staples rather than complex sauces or elaborate techniques. Black beans (the national legume), Salsa Lizano (the ubiquitous brown seasoning sauce), cilantro (culantro coyote), sweet peppers, and rice.