{"id":8755,"date":"2014-09-12T06:00:23","date_gmt":"2014-09-11T20:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=8755"},"modified":"2025-03-26T01:06:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:06:53","slug":"awesome-dishes-central-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/awesome-dishes-central-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Move over Mexico: 7 awesome foods from Central America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rice, beans, plantain, tortillas, quesadilla, guacamole, salsa, tequila…need we go on? Food in Central America<\/a> is one (very prominent!) reason we love this part of the world so much.<\/p>\n

Here, we share some cuisine which may have gone under the radar in the past. Move over Mexico<\/a>, your neighbours have some pretty sensational tastebud pleasers of their own.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Guatemala: desayuno chapin en Guatemala<\/h2>\n
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Photo courtesy of Louise Burton<\/p><\/div>\n

That’s \u2018traditional breakfast in Guatemala\u2019 to you and I. And it could well be the best breakfast you’ll set your tastebuds on in Central America. A plate of frijoles (red kidney beans) (whole, not ground to a paste), fried plantain, egg (fried or scrambled to your desire) and your choice of soft corn tortillas or bread, this is a metabolism booster.<\/p>\n

It won\u2019t overfill you, but will fill you up just right so as not to get off to a sluggish start. Whether you’re climbing a volcano or soaking up the local cultural sights – it’s a perfect start to your each day of your holiday in\u00a0Guatemala<\/a>. Add a cup of fresh Guatemalan coffee to your desayuno chapin<\/em> and you’ll be basking in food glory.<\/p>\n

Fill rating: 3\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Honduras: baleadas<\/h2>\n
\"IMG_8959\"

Photo courtesy of Louise Burton<\/p><\/div>\n

A combination of egg, beans, and cheese inside a soft corn tortilla, baleadas<\/em> is the local dish of Honduras<\/a>. You can keep it plain and simple if you wish, or throw in some feisty hot sauce and pickled vegetables if you prefer a bit more of a kick.<\/p>\n

You can indulge in baleadas<\/em> for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – which makes it one flexible dish. I enjoyed it most for lunch, but locals like to get their bean and tortilla fix for breakfast; feel free to have it for all three meals if you like it that much. I won’t judge.<\/p>\n

Fill rating: 4\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Nicaragua: baho<\/h2>\n
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Photo courtesy of Louise Burton<\/p><\/div>\n

Cheap, local, and shareable – baho<\/em> is Nicaragua<\/a>\u2019s finest food (by my standards anyway!). For just $3 USD in a market outside Granada, we bought ours from the local vendors who are generally the best people to get your baho<\/em> from as they cook it right in front of you.<\/p>\n

We’re talking succulent pork, boiled yucca (a bit like potato but less stodgy), boiled plantain, finished off with a light cabbage salad; oh and it comes neatly wrapped in a lush green banana leaf.\u00a0 It’s a real stomach filler. I said shareable, but it tastes so good you might just want one for yourself.<\/p>\n

Fill rating: 5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Costa Rica: casado<\/h2>\n
\"IMG_6954\"

Meat casado | Photo courtesy of Louise Burton<\/p><\/div>\n

Costa Rica<\/a> offers a hearty local dish called casado –<\/em> sure to settle those post-rafting hunger pangs. Choose your meat – beef, chicken, or pork – and then just wait for the magic to happen. Before your very eyes, your meat will appear alongside fried plantain in a sweet sauce, salsa salad, a soft corn tortilla, and rice. It’s sure to fill you up and can be found in variations in most restaurants throughout the country.<\/p>\n

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Veggie casado | Photo courtesy of Louise Burton<\/p><\/div>\n

There is also a delicious vegetarian option (see above) which includes cheese, avocado, steamed vegetables, egg and beans. Even if you’re not vegetarian you should probably give this one a try too.<\/p>\n

Fill rating: 5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Costa Rica: horchata<\/h2>\n
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Photo courtesy of Nacho Pintos, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Originating in Spain and widely available throughout Latin America, everyone has a slightly different take on horchata<\/em> – a sweet drink typically made from rice milk and cinnamon. In Costa Rica, some places add peanut butter into the mix. And I can tell you: it’s a sensational addition.<\/p>\n

There’s even a hint of healthiness about this frothy frenzy. And if peanut butter isn\u2019t for you, why not try the resbaladera<\/em> – the same base of rice milk, but with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. It’s sure to hit the spot.<\/p>\n

Fill rating: 1\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Everywhere: chips \u2019n\u2019 dips<\/h2>\n
\"IMG_8908\"<\/a>

Photo courtesy of Louise Burton<\/p><\/div>\n

The beauty of this dish? You will find them everywhere in Central America. If you like guacamole, salsa, and frijoles (refried kidney beans), you have a fail safe snack (or meal – depending on hunger levels) in whichever country you rock into from Mexico<\/a> right the way through to Panama<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Be careful not to try and compliment these with a side of Nachos. Most commonly in Central America, Nachos is a meal unto itself – not just the chips with dips – which mostly come piled with kidney beans, minced meat, guacamole, and salsa. If you are a vegetarian, or just wanted chips and dips, you could get a surprise.<\/p>\n

Fill rating: 2\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

7. TEQUILA! TEQUILA!<\/h2>\n
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Photo courtesy of Sam Howzit, Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n

Wash that all down with a hearty shot of Tequila – made from the Agave plant – with a lick of salt and a suck of a lime\u2026 and you are eating just like a local in Central America (and you will probably be dancing like one too after a shot or two of this!).<\/p>\n

Fill rating: 0.5\/5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keen to sample Central America’s finest foods for yourself? Of course you are. Check out some of Intrepid Travel’s amazing Central America itineraries<\/a>, such as the Mexico and Guatemala holiday\u00a0– you’re sure to find your dream adventure.<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n

Feature image courtesy of Josue Goge, Flickr<\/em><\/p>\n

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Move over Mexico, your neighbours have some pretty sensational tastebud pleasers of their own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15100,"featured_media":8772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[275,88,68,463,276,108,598,692,681],"class_list":["post-8755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","tag-central-america","tag-costa-rica","tag-guatemala","tag-honduras","tag-latin-america","tag-mexico","tag-nicaragua","tag-tours","tag-trips","ipf_region-guatemala","ipf_region-honduras","ipf_region-mexico","ipf_region-nicaragua"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMove over Mexico: 7 awesome foods from Central America | The Good Times by Intrepid<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Move over Mexico, your neighbours have some pretty sensational tastebud pleasers of their own. 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