{"id":1893,"date":"2012-12-02T19:05:59","date_gmt":"2012-12-02T19:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/costarica.escapeartist.com\/?p=1893"},"modified":"2020-04-29T02:05:08","modified_gmt":"2020-04-29T06:05:08","slug":"holiday-foods-in-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/costa-rica\/live\/holiday-foods-in-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Foods in Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"
For many Costa Ricans the season\u2019s culinary dishes are steeped in tradition. A favorite during the holidays, tamales (pronounced tah-mahl-ays) are a delectable treat made with fine corn flour, potatoes, vegetables, meat, and wrapped in a plantain leaf. It is unclear when the tradition of tamales began, but they are considered part of the national heritage \u2013 everyone has fond memories of eating tamales at Christmastime.<\/p>\n
Each family has its own, sometimes secret, tamal recipe that has been passed down for generations, usually from mother to daughter. Costa Ricans set aside a weekend (or two) in November and December to make the tamales assembly-line style: everyone has a certain task. After spending many hours in the kitchen, they are rewarded with beautiful pi\u00f1as, or small packages consisting of two tamales wrapped in plantain leaves and tied together. It is common to gift a pi\u00f1a de tamales to friends, neighbors and other acquaintances.<\/p>\n
Another celebrated food often given to friends and family is the queque navide\u00f1o (Christmas cake). Similar to fruitcake, this is a sweet, heavy cake made with dried fruit that has often been soaked in rum for days or weeks. Though the alcohol bakes off in the oven, Costa Ricans love to joke about getting tipsy off a good cake.<\/p>\n
During Christmas, most Costa Ricans drink rompope, a kind of eggnog. Made with whole milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, the sweet and spicy mixture is almost always spiked with spiced rum or guaro (the Costa Rican firewater). Some families, especially in the countryside, make their own moonshine guaro, a potent drink that is anticipated year after year.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, dinner is eaten at midnight on Christmas Eve, though many families swap late-night eats for an afternoon feast on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. A classic meal may include pierna de cerdo (roast pork leg) or mano de piedra (a cut of beef), tamales, arroz con leche (rice pudding), and tres leches (three milk cake). Side dishes vary by family, but some favorites are pasta or potato salad, sweet corn on the cob, and green salad. Spiral-cut ham and turkey have also gained popularity in recent years.<\/p>\n