Foods
Nicaraguan Cuisine
There exists a wide variety of Nicaraguan dishes for all tastes.
Nicaraguans are popularly called “Sons and Daughters of the Corn” because corn forms the base of all of our traditional meals.
Some of the Nicaraguan dishes and drinks that you can enjoy are:
Nacatamal -- Nicaraguan tamale—meat, cornmeal, potatoes, rice, tomatoes, and
onions
Tamal Dulce -- tamale with only corn, nothing else
Tamal Relleno -- tamale colored by wood ash and stuffed with ground beans
Baho -- yucca, green and ripe plaintains, and beef eaten with cabbage salad
Güirila -- thick white corn tortilla filled with crumbled white cheese
Atol de elote -- thick warm corn drink
Elote asado y cocido -- corn on the cob cooked or boiled
Indio Viejo -- small, long strings of breaded meat
Guiso de Chilote -- premature corn cob cooked with cornmeal
Rosquillas -- doughnuts
Tortillas -- corn tortillas
Chicha fuerte -- fermented corn drink
Chicha tierna -- refreshing bright-pink corn drink
Pinolillo --drink of ground toasted corn and cacao
Pinol -- drink of toasted corn
Cususa -- indigenous alcoholic beverage made from corn
Quesillo -- thick corn tortilla wrapped around soft cheese, pickled onions, and a
sauce of sour cream or liquid cheese and vinegar
Gallo Pinto is the most common Nicaraguan dish. It is a combination of rice and beans fried together, normally served at breakfast and at dinner.
Because Nicaragua has a tropical climate, there is a huge variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year. The vegetables are normally very fresh and can be found in all of the markets and supermarkets in the country.
The famous “fritangas” are characterized by vendors selling fried food and grilled meats. They are the most popular in the cities and the dishes that they sell are affordable for the majority of the public.
The Atlantic Coast has different typical food dishes than the Pacific Coast. The coconut is the fundamental base of most coastal dishes. The principal dishes of the Bluefields are coconut bread, breadfruit, the Rondón, gallo pinto with coconut, the Patí, cakes of quequisque, yucca, bananas, “Jorny Cake,” a special type of cookie eaten with ginger tea, popular during the May Pole festivals.
The majority of eateries are clean, but you should always take care, as the food can become contaminated from sitting out and you can easily get sick.