EYW Blog

It might require some legwork, but our contributor found that tracking down vigorón on the streets of Granada was well worth the scavenger hunt.

Photos by Chelsey Perron

It was a sunny day, and the breeze off Lake Nicaragua floated past Granada’s colorful colonial houses. We were on the hunt for a specific dish, one whose name we’d heard murmured by Nicas everywhere: vigorón, Nicaragua’s favorite street food, which is said to have been invented here in Granada, the oldest colonial city in Central America. Where better to try a dish that pays homage to the country’s rural roots than in the shadow of centuries-old Spanish cathedrals? The more we asked, though, the more fingers...

It doesn’t get much more tipico than this deceptively basic rice-and-beans breakfast, reports contributor (and Costa Rica resident) Chelsey Perron. Meet gallo pinto, Costa Rica's ultimate local dish.

A typical breakfast plate with gallo pinto, from a roadside soda. Photo: Chelsey Perron

Costa Ricans—Ticos, as they’re called here—wake up to a different kind of rooster than most. Gallo pinto, or “spotted rooster,” is so commonly consumed most mornings in local households, it could easily be renamed “breakfast” for many families in this Central American country. The recipe is deceivingly simple: rice, beans, and olores, typically a scant mixture of red sweet peppers (optional),...