Gallito Pinto

From Canada to Tierra del Fuego, food aficionados often say that Mexico and Peru are the only legitimate members of the club of great national cuisines in the Americas. Though pronouncements such as these are likely to cause grumbling from Argentina, Brazil, and, indeed, a host of other countries, it is true that the signature dishes from Mexico and Peru display a creativity, a delicacy of technique, a uniqueness—an exoticism even—found nowhere else in the Americas. However, every country in the region—and Costa Rica in particular—produces a number of delicious dishes and ingredients. (An interesting aside: Many would argue that Costa Rica’s version of the tamale is superior to that of Mexico.) And, if your tastes tend toward the tropical, then the abundant variety of tropical fruits used in Costa Rican recipes will surely please you. Of course, this debate about food is very much a question of perspective. The simplicity of Costa Rican cooking, its reliance on tropical fruits, and the relative importance of legumes and tubers (as opposed to a gluttonous appetite for meat)—all this results in recipes that are healthy, unpretentious, and easy to prepare. Some of us prefer this approach to food to that of the gourmand’s obsession for novelty and fancy techniques. We hope that you’ll have fun trying out the recipes in this book. We also hope that the recipes, illustrations, and cultural notes within will serve as a kind of introduction to Costa Rica, its people, and the rhythm of day-to-day life here.

Gallito Pinto

Traditional Recipes From Costa Rica

By Andrea Corrales

I.S.B.N. 978-0-9798804-8-3

About the Author

Andrea Corrales, Masters in Communication and Marketing, spent more than a year writing Gallito Pinto. In conversing about favorite recipes with grandmothers-hers and those of friends-and while pouring through compilations of Costa Rican recipes from the Costa Rican Ministry of Culture, Andrea became ever more enamored with her country’s cuisine. She hopes you will too!

About the Author

Sample spread