Cooking Class
August 3, 2018
Today, we participated in a
cooking class taught by a woman named Sra. Lavinia who has been making typical Costa Rican breakfasts for
us everyday at the casitas. We learned how to cook a traditional Costa Rican
dish called “arroz con pollo,” which translates to rice and chicken.
Vegetarians ate a variation of the dish with vegetables instead of the chicken.
Students participated in prepping the ingredients by chopping the vegetables
like the green beans, carrots, green onion, leek, bell pepper, white onion, broccoli,
and chayote while some others shredded the chicken. We learned about a paste
called achiote which was added to give the rice a yellow color without altering
the taste of the food. Sra. Lavinia taught us that firmer vegetables like the green
beans and carrots had to be put in first since they take longer to cook. The
final dish was served with fried plantains which were a student favorite.
Plantains are similar to bananas except they larger, less sweet, and starchy.
Not only was cooking the food a fun experience but also gave students some
insight to Costa Rican culture. For example, rice and beans are Costa Rican
staples because people used to have really large families with little money and
these staples were filling to satisfy their hunger. A fact we learned was that
1 kg of rice is enough for around 15 people. The dish was very appealing due to
the numerous colors, smell, flavors, and blend of textures.
Today, we participated in a
cooking class taught by a woman named Sra. Lavinia who has been making typical Costa Rican breakfasts for
us everyday at the casitas. We learned how to cook a traditional Costa Rican
dish called “arroz con pollo,” which translates to rice and chicken.
Vegetarians ate a variation of the dish with vegetables instead of the chicken.
Students participated in prepping the ingredients by chopping the vegetables
like the green beans, carrots, green onion, leek, bell pepper, white onion, broccoli,
and chayote while some others shredded the chicken. We learned about a paste
called achiote which was added to give the rice a yellow color without altering
the taste of the food. Sra. Lavinia taught us that firmer vegetables like the green
beans and carrots had to be put in first since they take longer to cook. The
final dish was served with fried plantains which were a student favorite.
Plantains are similar to bananas except they larger, less sweet, and starchy.
Not only was cooking the food a fun experience but also gave students some
insight to Costa Rican culture. For example, rice and beans are Costa Rican
staples because people used to have really large families with little money and
these staples were filling to satisfy their hunger. A fact we learned was that
1 kg of rice is enough for around 15 people. The dish was very appealing due to
the numerous colors, smell, flavors, and blend of textures.
Written by Kate Olsen
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