Nicaragua Food and Drink

By Kirsten Hubbard, About.com Guide

Nicaragua Food and Drink: Plantains

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All about Nicaragua food and drink:

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Nicaragua food and drink is representative of the diversity of its residents. Spanish, Creole, Garifuna and Indigenous Nicaraguan cuisines all influence modern Nicaragua food, which most travelers find delicious – and exceptionally inexpensive. Getting hungry? Have a taste of Nicaragua food and drink! Be sure to follow the links for Nicaragua recipes and other information.

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Breakfast in Nicaragua:

A typical Nicaraguan breakfast usually consists of eggs, cheese, gallo pinto (see below) and sweet plantains, served with bread or corn tortillas. Fresh juice or coffee accompanies most Nicaragua breakfasts.

Nicaraguan Meals:

The majority of Nicaraguan meals are founded upon traditional Nicaragua foods like corn, beans, plantains, yucca and peppers. A characteristic Nicaragua meal might include a meat like chicken, pork or fresh seafood from Nicaragua’s expansive coasts, deep-fried plantains, rice and beans (aka “gallo pinto”) and a cabbage salad.

Other Nicaragua meals:

Chicharrones: Deep-fried salty pork skin.

Vigoron: A classic Nicaragua meal founded in Granada, featuring chicharron, yucca and a cabbage salad.

Nacatamal: A Nicaraguan tamale – corn flour stuffed with meat (especially pork, mashed potatoes and/or veggies, tied in a plantain leaf, and boiled.

Indio Viejo (“Old Indian”): An elaborate stew-like dish composed of shredded meat, onions, tomatoes and peppers fried with precooked corn meal, then thinned with orange juice and broth. Adorned with mint.

Snacks & Sides in Nicaragua:

Quesillo: A tortilla stuffed with cheese and served with cream, onion, vinegar and chile.

Tostones: crunchy deep-fried plantains, an indispensable side dish in Nicaraguan cuisine. Also known as platanos fritos.

Gallo pinto: Rice and beans. Mixed with coconut milk on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

Nicaraguan Desserts:

Cajeta de Coco: Caramelized strings of coconut and yucca.

Tres Leches Cake (Pasel de Tres Leches): A cake soaked in three kinds of milk, including evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and cream.

Beverages in Nicaragua:

The Nicaragua drink “el macuá”, a blend of light rum, guava juice, lemon juice and sugar was recently voted the official Nicaragua beverage. When it comes to cerveza, the most popular Nicaragua beer brands are Toña and La Victoria. Bufalo is a relatively new Nicaragua beer. International beers like Heineken and Corona are easy to find in Nicaragua.

Nicaragua’s bounty of tropical fruits are used in many non-alcoholic beverages, blended with water, milk or yogurt. In Nicaragua, it’s best to err on the safe side if you’re not sure the water is purified; also order your drink sin hielo, or without ice.

Where to Eat & What You'll Pay:

In the Nicaragua capital city of Managua, international chains like McDonalds are almost as common as authentic Nicaragua restaurants. Head to the market in Leon for some low-cost Nicaragua cuisine, or the central park in Granada for a vigoron plate from a streetside vendor. In Nicaragua’s coastal cities like San Juan del Sur and Bluefields, enjoy some of the world’s freshest seafood -- including lobster – at beachfront restaurants. Fortunately, Nicaragua food is super-cheap. And that includes the lobster.

Want to sample actual Nicaragua food in Nicaragua?:

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