A Vegetarian Guide To Costa Rica

Trying traditional foods and dishes is one of my favorite parts of traveling. As a vegetarian, it can be hard to eat authentically without eating meat. Fish and meat are a huge part of Latin American cuisine and Costa Rica is no exception.

I am a vegetarian and have been living in Costa Rica for four months eating traditional foods (well, modified versions I should say).  Here’s the low down on how to eat authentically as a vegetarian in Costa Rica!

 

1. Gallo Pinto

   

Gallo pinto is one of my favorite traditional dishes of Costa Rica. Maybe because it’s vegetarian and I don’t have to make modifications or maybe because it tastes really good. Gallo pinto is a twist on traditional rice and beans. It’s a mix of rice, beans, finely chopped up onions and peppers and lizano sauce. Traditionally, it is eaten for breakfast. Pair it with eggs, plantains, and cheese and you’re morning is off to a good start! You can find the recipe here to try it yourself! Pictured: Gallo pinto with scrambled eggs

2. Salad

Costa Rica looks like the most delicious salad you have ever seen. Bright lush leafy greens and pops of color, talk about delicious am I right? OK maybe I’m getting a little carried away, point is, the land is lush. Fruits and veggies aren’t hard to find. With limes growing on every tree get ready for fresh salads with lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, that are tossed with lime and salt. Que Rica!

3. Yucca

Yucca amazes me. It is the shape shiftier of vegetables! If you want it mashed, it can mimic mashed potatoes, fried to taste like french fries, fry it with cheese and is a Costa Rican mozerella stick. Add it to a veggie soup. You can mash it into a “yucca” patty which can be used as a veggie burger. The limits of yucca do not exist. Anything you think of, yuccan do with yuca!

4. Fruits

There are fruits everywhere! Look around and you will see fruits going from trees that can easily aid the perfect breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snark… Star fruit, citrus, mamónes, coconuts, avocados! You can simply pick your lunch right off the trees! Pictured: Mamónes!

5. Plantains

Another one of my favorites. Very vestaile, mash them up fry them up and use them as chips to create a more fufilling nacho. With beans, salsa, sour cream, it’s the perfect meal…or snack. Pictured: Patacones! Mashed and then fried plantain’s with beans, cheese, and chimi churri (red salsa) on top!

 

6. Soups

Regardless of the heat in Costa Rica, soups are very popular.  Sopa Negra is my favorite soup here! It’s a black bean soup with hard poached eggs and spices. Sopa verduras con leche (Vegetable soup with milk) is also never hard to find. It’s a milk based soup with plantains, yucca, potato, and vegetables. Pictured: Sopa de verduras con leche!

7. Queso

 

Queso tierano is the most common cheese in Costa Rica. It’s a white cheese made from cows milk. Try it raw with a salad or fry it up. It may not be the healthiest thing in the world but it sure is delicious!

8. Picadillo

Traditional Picadillo is made with red meat or chicken and vegetables. It is seasoned well and cooked together resulting in a bold, delicious flavor. A modified version of Picadllo is made with chayote. Chayote belongs to the squash family. It is a green water vegetable that picks up the flavor of just about anything.  Seasoned with cilantro, onions, garlic and local spices, Picadillo (the vegetarian way) may just become your new favorite food.

 

Are ready to eat your way through Costa Rica? Global Works Travel has summer programs where you can travel authentically by immersing yourself in Costa Rican culture!