The coolest thing about food is that it tells a story about the culture it comes from. Before ships and trains, people had to eat what grew naturally on the land. Beans have grown for hundreds of years in Mesoamerica, the region from Mexico to the northern part of Costa Rica. That means that the weather and soil is perfect here for beans to grow, and indigenous people have eaten beans for a long time. About 300 years ago, Spanish people and other European explorers like Christopher Colombus came to Central America on ships. They brought lots of different crops with them, but rice became a quick favorite. Rice is easy to grow, store, and is super filling. To this day, people eat rice and beans all over Central and South America. The combo provides lots of energy and protein.
Pineapple and coffee are also foods that tell part of Costa Rica's history. Did you know that almost all of the pineapples eaten in the U.S. are grown in Costa Rica? I had no idea before I came here! Since Costa Rica is warm all of the time and rains a lot, pineapple grows well all year round. Coffee also grows here and Costa Ricans are proud to have it as part of their culture.
I will miss drinking coffee and eating pineapple and gallo pinto when I return home from Costa Rica!
