Central America Food and Drink: Central America has a surplus of good taste, confirmed by the delicious range of Central America food and drink.
Some Central America food is extremely familiar (fried chicken in Guatemala, fruit smoothies in Costa Rica). Other meals might seem a bit on the exotic side (fried palm flowers in El Salvador, stuffed yucca rolls in Panama), while certain Central America recipes might seem downright startling -- such as El Salvador's sopa de patas.
Go on... have a taste of Central America cuisine!
1. Costa Rica Food and Drink
If you're traveling to Costa Rica for the first time, you're probably curious about Costa Rica food. Fortunately, food in Costa Rica isn't that different from food in the United States – with a few notable exceptions, like chilera (a spicy dressing made with pickled onions, peppers and other vegetables) and Tres Leches Cake (a cake soaked in three kinds of milk). Read on...
2. Honduras Food and Drink
Kirsten Hubbard
On the Caribbean coast or in the Bay Islands, seafood dominates Honduras cuisine. No travel taste test of Honduras food is complete without fresh fish, shrimp, lobster or the endlessly versatile conch (caracol in Spanish). Read on...
3. Panama Food and Drink
Because of Panama’s diverse Spanish, American, Afro-Caribbean and indigenous influences, Panamanian cuisine ranges from the familiar, like snow cones and tropical fruit, to the ultra-exotic, like carimanola -- a fried yucca roll stuffed with meat and boiled eggs. Seafood is prevalent, and snacks are delicious, especially if you buy them at a fonda. Read on...
4. Guatemala Food and Drink
Guatemala 360
Guatemala food and drink is primarily influenced by the country's Mayan and Spanish cultures. Nowadays, international influences are found in Guatemala food as well, such as Chinese, American, and the vegetarian movement. The resulting mix represents some of my favorite Central America cuisine. Read on...
5. El Salvador Food and Drink
Kirsten Hubbard
El Salvador food and drink is particularly distinctive among the diverse cuisines of Central America. A blend of indigenous and Spanish influences, El Salvador food includes all sorts of stuffed delights: tamales, empanadas, pastelitos, and the ever-present pupusa. Read on...
6. Nicaragua Food and Drink
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. Read on...
7. Belize Food and Drink
Kirsten Hubbard
When it comes to diversity in Central America cuisine, Belize is the definite winner. Belize is the ultimate melting pot of cultures, including Creole, Mayan, Garifuna, Spanish, British, Chinese and American (whew!). As a result, Belize food and drink is just as varied, from stew chicken to cassava bread, fry jack to Johnny cakes, "Boil ups" to frothy seaweed drinks. Read on...
