Costa Rica is a wonderful country to visit. The Central American country is definitely one of the best vacation destinations out there. It is home to numerous National Parks, more than 600 beautiful beaches to enjoy, diverse wildlife, majestic volcanoes, and ecotourism alternatives, and those are just a few of the Costa Rican charms to enjoy.
The country is not only a small piece of paradise-like landscape on Earth, connecting North and South America, it also has a tasty traditional cuisine you have to try when visiting, especially desserts, many of which are based on milk, corn, and sugarcane that add to the wonderful taste. In this article, we’ll be covering five delicious Costa Rican traditional desserts you just can’t miss.
1. Costa Rican Tres Leches
Tres leches translates to “three milks”. It is one of the favorite desserts among locals. Tres leches is a type of cake characterized by its fluffy and moist consistency and sweet taste. As the name implies, one of its key ingredients is milk and this recipe requires specifically evaporated milk and heavy cream. It tastes even better when whipped cream is used as the topping. Tres leches can be found in the dessert section of several different supermarkets, restaurants, or coffee shops.
2. Costa Rican Arroz con Leche
Another delicious milk-based Costa Rican dessert is the one known as arroz con leche, or “rice with milk”. While the origins of this particular dish remain unknown, and the combination of these ingredients is also popular in other parts of the world, arroz con leche is one of the most deeply beloved desserts by Costa Ricans. It is usually a recipe passed on from generation to generation within families and made at home by mothers and abuelitas during special festivities, especially during the Christmas period and Semana Santa (Easter week).
Arroz con leche can be eaten warm or cold. Many Costa Ricans like to use honey made from a type of squash, known as the miel de chiverre, as a topping for their arroz con leche serving. If you visit Costa Rica, you can find arroz con leche in some typical restaurants, at food sales at patronal fairs, or food sales organized in some communities by the local Catholic church, especially after service, on Sundays.
3. Torta Chilena
Torta Chilena is one of heaven’s special gifts to Earth for dessert lovers. The name means “Chilean tart” because the Torta chilena is Costa Rica's take on the Chilean dessert known as Mil Hojas (“thousand layers”). The basics of both desserts are quite similar, layers of pie pastry separated by a layer of dulce de leche. While the Mil Hojas has around 15 to 20 layers, Costa Rica’s traditional version of the dessert is a little bit more simplified with only 6 to 8 layers. Sometimes, the topping is made of the same dulce de leche separating the layers and occasionally covered by whipped cream. Either way, it is a dessert that is worth enjoying. It is often sold by the slice in local bakeries or coffee shops. One particularly popular torta chilena among locals is the one made by the restaurant chain called Spoon.
4. Churchill
In our article about traditional Costa Rican food, we discussed the Costa Rican snow cone, known as granizado, or copo. Granizados, in their most common iteration, are made with shaved ice, cola syrup, condensed milk, and powdered milk. The churchill is a special version of granizado. While the ingredients are mostly the same, the churchills are usually bigger and can have one or two ice cream scoops as the topping. Churchill dessert has been around in Costa Ricans for more than 70 years now, and it is believed that the name stems from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill whose looks apparently resembled the creator of this unique dessert.
Churchills are mostly found in a boulevard in the Puntarenas port called Paseo de los turistas (“The Tourists’ Promenade”). Here, most restaurants sell churchills and some are even dedicated exclusively to preparing this dessert. Ticos love churchills so much, they sometimes travel all the way from San Jose to Puntarenas (about 60 miles / 96.5 km) just to eat one.
5. Empanadas de Chiverre
Empanadas de chiverre are a very traditional Costa Rican dish. This sweet pastry is made of baked flour-based empanadas filled with the chiverre honey. Historically, in Costa Rica, empanadas de chiverre have been a Holy Week tradition. They are often sold in spaces known as huertos, where the people from the community come together to raise money for the parish, either by donating dishes to sell or by buying them. However, in recent years, empanadas de chiverre are no longer saved for Semana Santa and Easter holiday. Now, you can also enjoy empanadas de chiverre at some bakeries, traditional restaurants, and coffee shops all year round.
These are just a few of the delicious dishes and desserts Costa Rica has to offer. Food is a great way to get more immersed in the culture of the country you’re visiting, and Costa Rican desserts are deeply ingrained in the cultural identity of the country. You definitely have to make sure to try them next time you visit. Let your trip to Costa Rica become a sweet memory!
We invite you to book your stay at Out of Office Villa while you’re traveling in the country.
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