Starting this week, the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) launches the audiovisual series of four videos called “Neighborhood Traditions,” as part of its gastronomic communication tactic “Costa Rica, a country of flavors to discover.”
Thanks to this new material, people will learn about the process of converting sugar cane into a sweet or sobado tapa, made in the Trapiche de los Hermanos Arias, in La Paz de San Ramón de Alajuela; canton that concentrates the largest number of mills in the Central Valley.
They will also learn about the tradition of the bakery and sweet shop of the family business “Dulces y panes Amaylita”, in Zarcero, Alajuela, as well as the process of making the delicious chicharrones prepared at the La Flor Carnicería, in Puriscal, founded for more than 70 years old and located next to the canton park. Finally, the history of the Porras Bakery, in Escazú, and its delicious artisanal quesadillas and trotters, prepared in a brick oven, will be shown.
"For the second consecutive year we are excited and pleased to present this material to invite Costa Ricans to engage in tourism motivated by gastronomy, the colors, flavors, products and stories that are hidden behind each of these dishes. At the same time, we want to show these traditions that have been maintained over time and that are part not only of national gastronomy, but also of our idiosyncrasy,” explained Ireth Rodríguez, head of promotion of the ICT.
For the choice of each filming location, we had the advice of Patricia Sedó, teacher and researcher at the School of Nutrition of the University of Costa Rica since 1989, where she works in areas such as nutrition of the elderly, food culture and education. community.
Sedó highlighted that to define a food tradition it is important that family inheritance exists from generation to generation, an element that is fulfilled in each of the places filmed, as they are businesses managed by the second or third generation of the family.
Coupled with this, it is important that these sites are a point of reference for the people and give them a sense of belonging in the territory. “It is important to maintain the tradition of our products because they are the identity of our people, our canton and our country. It is something that we have to leave as a legacy to the new generations and teach them to try these products,” mentioned Luceida Rodríguez, one of the four sisters in charge of the Dulces y Panes Amaylita business, a business inherited from her parents, and located in Zarcero.
More audiovisuals to taste
Along with “Neighborhood Traditions”, in the coming months the ICT will share more audiovisuals related to the popular farmer's fairs, showing the work
of farmers on their farms, vital work so that we have food on our tables.
As was done the previous year, the ICT will record the second season of the “Gastronomic Zones” tactic to discover on this occasion the gastronomy of Golfito-Pavones, San Vito de Coto Brus, Pérez Zeledón, Caño Negro and Tortuguero, as well as “The best of the sodas” of these places and finally, the tactic “With your hands” will be released, telling the stories of people from these regions who, without having a restaurant or business, have made a name for themselves by preparing and selling meals from their homes. The communication tactic “Costa Rica, a country of flavors to discover”, was launched by the ICT in 2022 and invites Costa Ricans to travel motivated by the dishes, products, flavors and recipes of each region of the country.
According to the study “Image and positioning of Costa Rica as a tourist destination (post-pandemic scenario)”, prepared in May 2023 for the ICT by the Spanish company Two Much Research Studio, the traveler who visits us is interested in enjoying gastronomy, especially eating food. local, the same one that Costa Ricans taste. 47% of those surveyed in the study highlighted “delicious food” as part of the country's image, exceeding the 42.5% who responded the same in 2018.