Nicaraguan cuisine includes a mixture of indigenous Native American cuisine,

Spanish cuisine Spanish cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices from Spain. Olive oil (of which Spain is the world's largest producer) is heavily used in Spanish cuisine. It forms the base of many vegetable sauces (known in Spanish as ''sofrit ...

, and

Creole cuisine Creole cuisine (French: ; Portuguese: ; Spanish: ) is a cuisine style born in colonial times, from the fusion between European, African and pre-Columbian American traditions. ''Creole'' is a term that refers to those of European origin who ...

. Despite the blending and incorporation of

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

and Spanish-influenced cuisine, traditional cuisine differs on the Pacific coast from the Caribbean coast. While the Pacific coast's main staple revolves around beef, poultry, local fruits, and corn, the Caribbean coast's cuisine makes use of seafood and coconut.

Cuisine

Main staples

As in many other

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

countries, corn is a staple. It is used in many widely consumed dishes such as

nacatamal A ''nacatamal'' is a traditional dish found in Nicaragua and Honduras similar to the ''tamal'' and to the ''hallaca''. Its name originates from the Nawat language spoken by the Nicarao, which were situated on the Southern Pacific coast of Nicar ...

and indio viejo. Corn is not only used in food; it is also an ingredient for drinks such as

pinolillo Pinolillo is a sweet cornmeal and cacao-based traditional drink in Nicaragua, also consumed in Costa Rica. It is made of ground toasted corn and a small amount of cacao. It can be mixed with water or soy milk, and served sweetened or unsweetened ...

and chicha as well as in sweets and desserts. Other staples are rice and beans. Rice is eaten when corn is not, and beans are consumed as a cheap protein by the majority of Nicaraguans. It is common for rice and beans to be eaten as a breakfast dish. There are many meals including these two staples; one popular dish,

gallo pinto or Royal Spanish Academy y Association of Academies of the Spanish Language (2014)«gallopinto» ''Diccionario de la lengua española'' (23.ª edición). Madrid: Spain. . Consulted October 19, 2018. is a traditional dish from Central America. Con ...

, is often served as lunch, sometimes with

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

. Nicaraguans do not limit their diet solely to corn, rice, and beans. Many Nicaraguans have small gardens of their own full of vegetables and sometimes incorporate flowers into their meals. Commonly used ingredients are peanuts, cabbage (shredded in vinegar, this is called "ensalada" and used as a side dish, sometimes with carrots and beets added), carrots, beets, butternut squash, plantains, bananas, fresh ginger, onion, potato, peppers, jocote, grosella,

mimbro ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel) is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus '' Averrhoa'', family Oxalidaceae. It is a close relative of the carambola tree. Description ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' is a small t ...

, mango, papaya,

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...

, pipian,

apples An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...

yuca ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

, and quequisque. Herbs such as

cilantro Coriander (;

, oregano, and

achiote ''Bixa orellana'', also known as achiote, is a shrub native to Central America. ''Bixa orellana'' is grown in many countries worldwide. The tree is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment (also called or ) obtained ...

are also used in cooking.

Typical Nicaraguan dishes

Beverages

Refrescos (drinks)

Nicaraguan cuisine makes use of fruits, some of which are only grown in that particular region due to their location. Many fruits are made into drinks known as frescos, the Nicaraguan name for what are called "aguas frescas" in other Latin American countries. Common flavors include

melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". Th ...

, papaya,

guayaba Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the C ...

, guanábana, coconut,

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

, and pitahaya.

Pinolillo Pinolillo is a sweet cornmeal and cacao-based traditional drink in Nicaragua, also consumed in Costa Rica. It is made of ground toasted corn and a small amount of cacao. It can be mixed with water or soy milk, and served sweetened or unsweetened ...

is very popular among Nicaraguans, as many times they refer to themselves as '' pinoleros'', which means "pinolillo drinkers". Many drinks are also made from grains and seeds, mixed with milk, water, sugar and ice.

Alcoholic beverages

Rums, such as

Flor de Caña ''Flor de caña'' ("Sugarcane Flower") is a 1948 Mexican film. It was written by Luis Alcoriza Luis Alcoriza de la Vega (September 5, 1918 – December 3, 1992) was a respected Mexican screenwriter, film director, and actor. Alcoriza was ...

and Ron Plata (both produced by Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua, S.A (CLNSA)), are both a popularly consumed beverage in Nicaragua and a crucial export product. Popular rum-based cocktails include the "Nica libre," a regional re-naming of the

Cuba libre Rum and Coke, or the Cuba libre ( , ; literally "Free Cuba"), is a highball cocktail consisting of cola, rum, and in many recipes lime juice on ice. Traditionally, the cola ingredient is Coca-Cola ("Coke") and the alcohol is a light rum such ...

(itself a variation of rum and coke), and the " Macuá" (containing orange, guava, and lime juices). The "Macúa" originated in 2006, when it won a Flor de Caña-sponsored competition to determine a marketable national cocktail representing Nicaragua, and was created by a pediatrician from Granada. Beer is also a common alcoholic beverage consumed in Nicaragua. Popular brands include Toña and Victoria, two former competitors both now produced by Compañía Cervecera de Nicaragua, as of a 1996 merger.

Other drinks

* Achiote con limon * Achiote con toronja * Agua de arroz * Arroz con Pino * Arroz con piña * Atol * Avena (drink) * Avena con leche * Avena con limon * Cacao * Caimito * Cebada * Cebada con limon * Cebada con Milca * Coyolito * Chia * Chicha * Chicha bruja * Chicha de caña * Chicha de coyol * Chicha de jocote *

Chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

* Ensalada de fruta * Espinaca (made with spinach berries) * Fresco de guayabilla * Guabul * Granadilla *

Horchata Horchata (; ), or (), is a name given to various beverages, which are generally plant-based, but sometimes contain animal milk. In Spain, it is made with soaked, ground, and sweetened tiger nuts. In Latin America and other parts of the Americas ...

* Kola Shaler * Limonada cimarrona * Linaza * Linaza con tamarindo * Mamey (nothing to do with sapodilla) *

Mamón ''Mamón'' are traditional Filipino chiffon or sponge cakes, typically baked in distinctive cupcake-like molds. In the Visayas regions, ''mamón'' are also known as ''torta mamón'' or ''torta''. Variants of ''mamón'' include the larger loa ...

* Nancite (yellow cherries drink) * Naranja con remolachas * Naranja con zanahorias * Papalon (beach grape drink) * Papaturro * Tiste

Postres (desserts)

* Almendras en miel (en jarabe) * Almibar o curbaza * Almibar de toncuá * Arroz con leche * Atol * Atol pujagua * Atolillo * Ayote en miel *

Bienmesabe ''Bienmesabe'' (Spanish: "it tastes good to me") is a sweet Spanish dessert prepared with honey, egg yolk, and ground almonds as primary ingredients. Its consistency significantly varies depending upon preparation methods used. The dessert is also ...

* Botellitas de miel * Brujas * Buñuelos de yuca o platano * Cajeta de ajonjoli * Cajeta de coco * Cajeta de coyol * Cajeta de leche * Cajeta de piña * Cajeta de zapoyol *

Cocadas Cocada are a traditional coconut confectionery found in many parts of Latin America. They are particularly popular in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador. They are oven baked bu ...

* Cosa de horno * Coyol en miel (en jarabe) * Crispeta * Cuznaca * Chiricaya *

Dulce de leche ''Dulce de leche'' (; pt, doce de leite), also known as caramelized milk, milk candy or milk jam in English, is a confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. The resulting substance, w ...

* Dulce de limon (cidra) * Dulce de nancite * Dulce de naranja * Dulce de piña * Dulce de papaya * Dulce de toronja * Dulce de remolacha con zanahoria * Enchiclados * Espumillas *

Gofio Gofio is a sort of Canarian flour made from roasted grains (typically wheat or certain varieties of maize) or other starchy plants (e.g. beans and, historically, fern root), some varieties containing a little added salt. Gofio has been an ...

* Flan * Gofio con anis * Grosellas en miel (en jarabe) * Hicacos en miel (en jarabe) * Jalea de guayaba * Jalea de mango * Jalea de patriotas (bananas) * Jocotes cocidos * Leche burra * Maduro asado * Maduro en gloria * Maduro horneado * Mamones en miel (en jarabe) * Mazapan * Melcocha * Motas de atol * Nancites cocidos * Nancites en conserva * Perrerreque * Piñonate * Pio Quinto * Polvorón *

Raspados Shave ice or Hawaiian shave ice is an ice-based dessert made by shaving a block of ice and flavoring it with syrup and other sweet ingredients. On the Big Island of Hawai'i, it is also referred to as "ice shave." In contrast, a snow cone, a simi ...

* Requeson * Sopa borracha * Suspiros * Toronja en miel (en jarabe) * Torta de leche *

Tres leches cake A tres leches cake (; , or ), also known as pan tres leches (), is a sponge cake—soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk. ''Tres leches'' is a very light cake, with many air bubbles. This distinct te ...

* Turron

References

External links

Traditional Nicaraguan food

Nicaraguan Food recipes
{{Authority control Central American cuisine Latin American cuisine Mesoamerican cuisine