Costa Rica is home to among the globe’s Blue Areas, where individuals live longer and much healthier lives than standard. I’m from a village approximately Cartago, called Llano Grande, which is understood for its abundant agriculture.Â
As a cookbook author and food preparation instructor that was birthed and increased right here, I have actually constantly really felt that our diet regimen and “pura vida” way of living is our trick to longevity.Â
To Costa Ricans, what we consume is equally as vital as the experience in the kitchen area and around the table. We deeply value the neighborhood that features food preparation. Maturing, I constantly aided my household prepare our dishes, and also gathered several of the ingredients.Â
Lunches and suppers constantly lasted for a minimum of an hour, and it was our time to discuss our day. This sort of conscious, cumulative strategy to food is something I enjoy to show the pupils that take my food preparation classes. It is not almost the food we consume, however the links that occur around it.
What Costa Ricans consume to live longer and better livesÂ
The ideal means to explain Costa Rican food is basic and fresh. Our diet regimen depends very on staples like fresh veggies, fruits, grains, and beans.
Right here are several of the foods that I prepare and consume daily to really feel much healthier and better over time.
1. Beans
Beans are a terrific resource of healthy protein, fiber, complicated carbs, prebiotics, nutrients. They have actually been connected to reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart problem and diabetes.Â
Black and red beans are one of the most prominent, normally worked as component of a casado (our typical recipe of rice, beans, veggies and healthy protein) or as a soup including beans and veggies.
Chickpeas and lentils are prominent right here and can be made use of as an alternative for the typical black beans.
2. Fresh fruit and vegetables
Fruit and veggies in Costa Rica are usually consumed fresh, not out of a can or a freezer. We commonly obtain our fruits and veggies from neighborhood markets called verdulerias. Â
Some of one of the most usual ones in our diet regimen are papaya, mango, banana, watermelon, pineapple and interest fruit, and they are either consumed by themselves or made right into beverages and juices.Â
We utilize a range of veggies in Costa Rican food preparation, consisting of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, onion, beetroots, yucca and zucchini. Veggies are either consumed raw, in basic salads clothed with lime, or prepared as picadillo, sliced and steamed, sometimes with some pet healthy protein blended in for flavor.Â
Picadillo de chayote is most likely my fave. Chayote is a sort of squash that is belonging to Central and South America, and not really usual in the USA. It is environment-friendly and crisp, and it tastes comparable to a jicama.
3. Rice and corn
Grains like rice and corn exist in our diet regimen, however mostly as an enhance to the beans and veggies that we consume.
For example, the tortillas are made use of to consume the picadillo in what we call “gallos.” Arroz disadvantage pollo is a conventional Costa Rican recipe including rice, a great deal of sliced veggies and various items of poultry.
This dish is a popular at parties like birthday celebrations, however it is likewise really typically appreciated daily.
4. Coffee
Costa Rican coffee is understood for being high in anti-oxidants, which can help reduce inflammation. Sweet beverages are usually not a large component of the coffee-drinking society.
Coffee right here is appreciated black or with a little milk. And as long as any type of various other dish, a mug is ideal appreciated gradually â $” we do take our time to consume.
My favored Costa Rican durability recipe
We consume rice and beans, either black or red, a couple of times a day. For lunch this dish is called casado. For morning meal, it is called gallo pinto and contains rice and beans blended with onions, peppers, and cilantro, accompanied with corn tortillas and coffee.Â
Thanks to its mix of entire grains, healthy protein, amino acids and anti-oxidants, durability scientist and Blue Areas creator Dan Buettner takes into consideration gallo pinto to be the healthiest breakfast in the world. It is amazing how such a simple dish can be packed with so many health benefits.Â
Here is my recipe for Gallo Pinto, so you can make it at home.
Here is an example of my favorite Costa Rican breakfast, Gallo Pinto.
Photo: Melissa Guzman
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup of cooked black beans
- 1 1/4 cup of cooked rice
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salsa lizano (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Steps:Â
- Heat up a pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, and let it get hot
- Add onions, peppers, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper
- Cook for three to five minutes until the onion is translucentÂ
- Mix in the beans, stir, and reduce heat to medium
- Add the lizano sauce, stir, and cook for five more minutes
- Add the rice, stir, and cook for a few more minutes, to incorporate all the flavors in the rice
To my mind, the recipe for why we live longer, healthier, and happier lives in Costa Rica is a simple one: Fresh ingredients that are prepared with care and meals that are intentionally enjoyed and shared with loved ones.Â
Melissa Guzman is a Costa Rican recipe book writer and food preparation instructor from Llano Grande, Costa Rica. She is the writer of “Living Longer, Much Healthier, and Happier: Dishes from Costa Rica.” Comply With Melissa on Instagram @recipesfromcostarica.
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