Introduction: Arroz con Pollo is a comforting one-pot dish of rice cooked together with shredded chicken, vegetables and a mild achiote-tinted sauce, a common Sunday family lunch across Costa Rica reflecting the wider Latin American tradition of the dish, prepared with a distinctly Costa Rican vegetable mix and seasoning base. Cultural Background: Arroz con Pollo […]
Introduction: Chifrijo, whose name blends 'chicharrón' and 'frijoles', is a layered bar-food favourite invented in Costa Rica in the late twentieth century, combining crispy fried pork, rice, beans and a fresh tomato salsa, typically scooped up with tortilla chips. Cultural Background: Chifrijo, whose name blends 'chicharrón' and 'frijoles', is a layered bar-food favourite invented in […]
Introduction: Resbaladera is a creamy, lightly spiced Costa Rican drink made from blended rice, barley and milk, similar in spirit to horchata found elsewhere in Latin America but distinguished locally by its own name and characteristic silky texture, from which it draws its name (meaning 'slippery' or 'slidey'). Cultural Background: Resbaladera is a creamy, lightly […]
Introduction: Casado, meaning 'married man', refers to the balanced combination of rice, beans, salad, plantain and a protein that make up this quintessential Costa Rican lunch plate, said to resemble the well-rounded meals a married man might expect at home. Cultural Background: Casado, meaning 'married man', refers to the balanced combination of rice, beans, salad, […]
Introduction: Comoros' answer to the spiced rice dishes found right around the Indian Ocean rim, pilaou layers rice with beef or chicken, whole spices and caramelised onions. Cultural Background: Comoros' answer to the spiced rice dishes found right around the Indian Ocean rim, pilaou layers rice with beef or chicken, whole spices and caramelised onions. […]
Introduction: A fermented rice-flour flatbread eaten across the Comoro Islands most mornings, mkatra foutra is cooked on a flat griddle until lightly crisp at the edges and soft in the middle. Cultural Background: A fermented rice-flour flatbread eaten across the Comoro Islands most mornings, mkatra foutra is cooked on a flat griddle until lightly crisp […]
Introduction: Fragrant rice simmered in coconut milk rather than plain water, this simple side dish appears alongside nearly every main course in Comorian cooking, echoing the coconut-forward flavours found right across the islands. Cultural Background: Fragrant rice simmered in coconut milk rather than plain water, this simple side dish appears alongside nearly every main course […]
Introduction: A festive, richly spiced rice dish cooked with meat and dried fruit, bilahouri is prepared for weddings, religious feasts and other major celebrations, standing as a grander cousin to the everyday pilaou. Cultural Background: A festive, richly spiced rice dish cooked with meat and dried fruit, bilahouri is prepared for weddings, religious feasts and […]
Introduction: Lechona is a whole pig stuffed with seasoned rice, peas and its own meat, then slow-roasted for many hours until the skin is shatteringly crisp. Cultural Background: Lechona is a whole pig stuffed with seasoned rice, peas and its own meat, then slow-roasted for many hours until the skin is shatteringly crisp. Originating in […]
Introduction: Colombian tamales are cornmeal parcels filled with meat, rice and vegetables, wrapped in plantain leaves and steamed, and are a centrepiece of Christmas Eve and New Year gatherings across Colombia, traditionally made in large communal batches by extended families. Cultural Background: Colombian tamales are cornmeal parcels filled with meat, rice and vegetables, wrapped in […]