To Keep From Being Misleading

Perhaps I should talk about the food. This does, after all, claim to be a blog about food. Yet I don't think I have done much aside from upload a picture or two and make an off handed comment. So here's a window into my recent culinary adventures.

One of my first "Nicaraguan" meals was lunch at El Porvenir, a small coffee growing co-op about three hours off of any sort of paved road and up a mountain, it consisted of a tortilla, farmer's cheese, beans, rice, a mixture of fried egg and other beans and a section of squash type vegetable.

Rice and beans are a very common meal item, often appearing together as Gallo pinto, the national dish of Nicaragua. A combination of fried red beans, rice, cilantro and other flavorings, it is one of the more delicious ways to stock up on protein and starch. Gallo pinto is generally served at both breakfast and dinner, though it often shows up for lunch as well.

Another frequent face at meals is that of the fruit juice, generally called Refresca. Made from just about any of Nicaragua's abundant fruits, the Refresca varies greatly in taste and color. From sweet pineapple to the vibrant pink pitahaya (dragon fruit).

Speaking of pineapples, one thing I found interesting was that the pineapples native to Nicaragua are white, the yellow pineapples that I am used to are called Dorados (Spanish for gold) and come from Costa Rica.

Surprisingly enough, as it turns out, tortilla chips are made from cut up corn tortillas that are then fried. I'm not exactlly sure why I did not make the connection earlier, but if you get the opportunity, I highly suggest them.