ICT invites you to enjoy Costa Rican gastronomy with “The Picadillo Route”

For nearly two months, Costa Rican chef Carlos Alpízar visited every province in the country to prepare, alongside local cooks, seven different picadillos (a type of hash) using native ingredients from each region.

This initiative, "The Picadillo Route," is an integral part of the "Costa Rica, a Country of Flavors to Discover" communication strategy, launched in 2022 by the ICT. The strategy encourages tourism driven by gastronomy, inviting visitors to discover the flavors, recipes, history, and traditions of Costa Rican cuisine.

“Gastronomy is the second biggest motivator for travel and an essential part of the tourist experience because it allows us to learn about a country's culture and traditions. This time, we wanted to showcase picadillos, a very Costa Rican dish that remains a staple on our tables, a dish that identifies us and connects us to our roots, encouraging us to continue exploring Costa Rica and enjoying its flavors and products,” said Ireth Rodríguez, head of the vacation and promotional segment at the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT).

“The Picadillo Route” is an audiovisual journey through the country's most authentic flavors, from grandmothers' kitchens to the menus of local eateries, wood-fired stoves, and restaurants with a local focus. 

Each video and its protagonists share cultural and gastronomic knowledge, demonstrating the preparation process of each picadillo in a natural and understandable way, revaluing culinary traditions and fostering pride in local and regional products with a fresh, cultural, and audiovisual approach. Picadillo is not just food; it's geography, history, and memory served on a plate. 

A Journey Through the 7 Provinces

In each location, Carlos Alpízar, chef of the Fuego Manso gastronomic project and the social media profile  @imjustacookcr,  spoke with experts in each type of picadillo and participated in preparing the recipes.

For example, together with chef Marlon Acuña, from Sibu Cafetería, and Lupita Abarca, from Casa Ru'U, in Uvita, on the South Pacific coast, they prepared bamboo picadillo with chorizo.

With Luis Chaves, chef at the Descarada Tradición restaurant in Cartago, they made malanga picadillo with osso buco.

Marta Rosales, from El Sitio de don Pedro, in Corralillo de Nicoya, Guanacaste, cooked chilote picadillo or stew with masa. Karla Salas, from Delicias Caseras catering in San Rafael de Heredia, prepared the palm heart hash, and Floribeth Araya, from Cafetería Doña Flory in Bajo La Paz, San Ramón de Alajuela, shared her recipe for arracache hash with potato and meat, a popular dish at lunchtime gatherings.

For the filming of the green plantain hash with pork and monkey tail fern, the production team traveled to the Bribri indigenous territory, to the Suretka community in the Talamanca canton of Limón. There, Rafael Cabraca, a Cabécar indigenous man from Finca Integral Dilä, prepared this delicious recipe over an open fire.

Finally, the potato hash with chicasquil was made by the cooks at Soda Flor del Carmen in the Central Market of San José. 

Each picadillo was served with traditional handmade corn tortillas.

Chef Carlos Alpízar emphasized the importance of this type of audiovisual material. “'The Picadillo Route' is a compilation not only of recipes, but also of stories, of small portraits of what Costa Rica is, of its gastronomy, and not only what it is, but what it can become. It shows us that the country still has many flavors to discover,” he said.

The recipes were curated by the ICT's Marketing Department with the support of Costa Rican chef Santiago Fernández.

Source: ICT