{"id":15532,"date":"2017-12-11T15:25:32","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T15:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.tickettoridegroup.com\/?p=15532"},"modified":"2025-10-17T18:25:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T18:25:06","slug":"flavours-of-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tickettoridegroup.com\/blog\/flavours-of-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"Flavours of Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"

Costa Rica\u00a0sits between two coasts, each of which boasts\u00a0an exciting array of colourful cuisine. The result? \u00a0A combination of Caribbean and\u00a0Latin influences that means that local dishes are delicious but also budget friendly.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve eaten every Burrito in Mal Pais, sampled all the Casados in Santa Teresa and snacked on Ceviche in all of the bars in between. I\u2019ve done my research, so for anyone who\u2019s heading out to Paradise with us in February, here\u2019s what to prepare your palate for as well as\u00a0how much to budget:<\/p>\n

Breakfast<\/h2>\n

I usually start the day (early) with some fruit whilst running to the\u00a0surf.\u00a0Coconuts, bananas and papayas literally grow on the trees around you and are cheap as chips as well as being perfect pre-surf fuel.<\/p>\n

However, this probably isn’t enough to fuel you for the whole day so\u00a0a post-surf second\u00a0breakfast is normally a huge and hearty Breakfast Burrito or cheap and cheerful Gallo Pinto (rice and beans), both with plenty of hot sauce. I’ll wash them down\u00a0with a couple of cups of what is literally the best coffee in the World. \u00a0There are plantations everywhere in land, so everywhere\u00a0sells good, proper coffee.<\/p>\n

Lunch<\/h2>\n

After another surf you’ll have easily worked up an appetite and it’ll be lunchtime. Yucca is on the menu everywhere and is the Central American answer to the potato, as is plantain which is basically a savoury banana. They’re both full of good energy but don\u2019t make the mistake that I made (every day for a week a few years ago) and eat them raw – they need to be cooked.<\/p>\n

Lunch is also time for another Costa Rican classic: ceviche, which is simply raw fish in lime juice and spiced with peppers. Furthermore, all of this goes perfectly with my favourite drink in Costa Rica,\u00a0\u2018Agua de pipa\u2019; a cold coconut. The coco water stuff in the UK has nothing on the real deal.<\/p>\n

Dinner<\/h2>\n

Finally, after a third and final surf, you’ll watch the sunset with a local beer followed by dinner. The backbone of the Costa Rican diet is gallo pinto and\u00a0in addition to the casado\u00a0it makes up a part of the ultimate Costa Rican meal. This combines gallo pinto with meat or fish, fried onions, salad, fried plantain as well as occasionally\u00a0cheese, covered in hot sauce. It\u2019s basic and big as well as cheap. Perfect surfer food.<\/p>\n

Budgeting<\/h2>\n

The most cost effective way to sample all of this goodness and to also fuel all those\u00a0surfs is to cook as a group. Avocados and papayas are plentiful around here and each apartment on the trip has a fully equipped kitchen for you to make up your culinary masterpieces. There is also a big BBQ perfect for grilling the fish that we catch on the fishing trip.<\/p>\n

This is my typical daily meal plan for under $20\/ $140 per week:<\/p>\n