Costa Rican Blue Zone Daily Recipes and Longevity Foods

Costa Rica is home to one of the world’s Blue Zones, where people live longer and healthier lives than average. I am from a small town in the region of Cartago, called Llano Grande, which is known for its rich agriculture.Â

As a cookbook author and cooking teacher who was born and raised here, I’ve always felt that our diet and “pura vida” lifestyle is our secret to longevity.Â

For Costa Ricans, what we eat is as important as the experience in the kitchen and around the table. We deeply value the community that comes with cooking. Growing up, I always helped my family prepare our meals and even harvested some of the ingredients.Â

Lunch and dinner always lasted for at least an hour and it was time to talk about our day. This kind of mindful and collective approach to food is something I love to share with the students who take my cooking classes. It’s not just about the food we eat, but the relationships that happen around it.

The best way to describe Costa Rican cuisine is simple and fresh. Our diet relies heavily on staple foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fresh beans.

Here are some of the foods I cook and eat every day to feel healthier and happier in the long run.

1. Beans

Beans are a great source of protein, fiber, complex carbohydrates, prebiotics, vitamins and minerals. They have been linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes

Black and red beans are the most popular, usually served as part of ea married (our traditional dish of rice, beans, vegetables and protein) or as a soup consisting of beans and vegetables.

Chickpeas and lentils are popular here and can be used as a substitute for the traditional black beans.

2. Fresh fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables in Costa Rica are generally eaten fresh, not from a can or refrigerator. We usually get our fruits and vegetables from local markets called verdulerias.a

Some of the most common in our diet are papaya, mango, banana, watermelon, pineapple and passion fruit, and they are eaten on their own or made into drinks and juices.

We use a variety of vegetables in Costa Rican cooking, including potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, onion, beetroot, yuca and zucchini. The vegetables are eaten either raw, in simple salads dressed with lime, or prepared as picadillo, chopped and boiled, occasionally with some animal protein mixed in for flavor.Â

Picadillo de chayote it’s probably my favorite. Chayote is a type of squash that is native to Central and South America, and not very common in the United States. It is green and fresh and tastes similar to a jicama.

3. Rice and corn

Grains such as rice and corn are present in our diet, but mostly as a supplement to the beans and vegetables we eat.

For example, tortillas are used to eat picadillo in what we call “gallos”. Rice with pollo is a traditional Costa Rican dish consisting of rice, lots of chopped vegetables and various pieces of chicken.

This meal is very popular at celebrations such as birthdays, but is also enjoyed on a day-to-day basis.

4. Coffee

Costa Rican coffee is known for its high content of antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation. Sugary drinks are generally not a big part of coffee drinking culture.

Coffee here is enjoyed black or with a little milk. And just like any other meal, a cup is best enjoyed slowly – we take our time to drink.

We eat rice and beans, black or red, two to three times a day. This meal is called for lunch married. For breakfast, it is called gallo pinto and consists of rice and beans mixed with onions, peppers and cilantro, accompanied by corn tortillas and coffee.Â

Thanks to its combination of whole grains, protein, amino acids and antioxidants, longevity researcher and Blue Zone founder Dan Buettner considers gallo pinto be the healthiest breakfast in the world. It’s amazing how such a simple dish can be packed with so many health benefits.Â

Here is my recipe for Gallo Pintoso you can do it at home.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup cooked black beans
• 1 1/4 cups cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons of chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons of ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salsa lisano (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Steps:Â

1. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and allow to heat
2. Add onions, peppers, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper
3. Cook for three to five minutes until the onion is translucent
4. Stir in the beans, stir and reduce the heat to medium
5. Add the lizano sauce, mix and cook for another five minutes
6. Add the rice, stir and cook for a few more minutes to incorporate all the flavors into the rice.

To my mind, the recipe for living longer, healthier and happier lives in Costa Rica is simple: fresh ingredients that are prepared with care and foods that are intentionally enjoyed and shared with loved ones.Â

Melissa Guzman IS a Costa Rican cookbook author and cooking teacher from Llano Grande, Costa Rica. She is the author of Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier: Recipes from Costa Rica. Follow Melissa on Instagram @recipesfromcostarica.

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