Jan 18, 2019
Five Fruits You Must Try While You are in Costa Rica

The fruit in Costa Rica is exquisite and exotic. The variety of fruit that naturally flourishes in this tropical utopia is quite impressive. Widely known fruits like bananas, avocados, papaya, and pineapple are available at nearly any market. Fruits like guanabana, cas, maracuyá, pitaya, and mamón chino, however, might be entirely new and unknown to you.

It would be a shame not to experience some of Costa Rica’s most delicious fruits just because you weren’t sure what they were or how to eat them. Here is a little guide to five fruits that you might have never tasted before but definitely should while you are in Costa Rica.

Guanábana

Guanábana, also called soursop, is a strange looking fruit that is native to Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Guanábana is relatively large with a green and slightly spikey exterior. The inside of the fruit is white and fleshy with a circular arrangement of medium-sized black seeds.

This fruit is commonly served as a juice or just sliced and eaten whole. What makes the guanábana very special though is its natural cancer-fighting properties. The leaves and fruit also have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-parasitic properties. Guanábana is pleasantly sweet and widely available in Costa Rica.

Exotic fruit in Costa Rica
A strange and sweet super fruit

Cas

Cas, also known as guava, is an abundant powerhouse fruit found throughout Costa Rica. This pear-shaped (although sometimes round) fruit is lime-green on the outside and pink on the inside. Often served in a juice, jelly, or jam flavor in Costa Rica. The health benefits of this hearty fruit are quite impressive though.

Guava is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin E, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, zinc, niacin, dietary fiber, folate, thiamine, and riboflavin. Regular consumption of this fruit promotes a healthy immune system, regulated blood pressure, improved eyesight, and enhanced brain function. It also helps alleviate digestive problems and symptoms associated with the common cold.

Guava fruit in Costa Rica
Sweet Treat

Maracuyá

Maracuyá, known in English as passionfruit, is a widely loved snack in Costa Rica. To eat it you must cut it in half and then scoop out the insides with a spoon. Maracuyá is also commonly used in desserts and drinks in Costa Rica.

Maracuyá is a great antioxidant-loaded fruit to incorporate into your Costa Rica vacation diet!

Fruit from Costa Rica
All you need is a spoon

Pitaya

Pitaya or dragon fruit is a beautiful exotic fruit locally grown in Costa Rica. The exterior is vibrant pink, and the inside is white and dotted with tiny edible black seeds. There are however several varieties of dragon fruit.  Pitaya is a fruit that many pass up because they don’t know what it is or how to eat it. But it is one that you should try while you are in Costa Rica.

Pitaya is full of antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals that are extremely beneficial to your overall health and wellness. This fruit helps support the cardiovascular, immune, and digestive system; as well as combats cancerous cells, reduces inflammation and promotes radiant and healthy skin.

Pitaya from Costa Rica
Pretty Pitaya

Mamón Chino

Mamón chinos are a type of lychee. They are called rambutan in other parts of the world. This seasonal treat (usually harvested and sold between July and October) is genuinely delectable and is the ultimate roadside snack. During the season, you can find mamón chinos everywhere. Street-side vendors usually sell them by the kilos.

This funny looking fruit looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book! To eat them you remove the outer shell and eat the sizeable grape-like fruit inside. Be careful of the seed in the middle. It is nearly impossible only to eat one!

Fruit from Costa Rica
Don’t miss out on mamón chinos!
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Jul 21, 2018
The Crown Jewel of Fruit in Costa Rica

Did you know that Costa Rica is the world’s top pineapple producer? Roughly 111,200 acres of the country is devoted entirely to pineapple plantations and over 100,000 jobs in Costa Rica are created, directly and indirectly, by this world-favored tropical fruit. Almost three million tons of pineapple are harvested and sold domestically and internationally every year from Costa Rica.

Grown in Costa Rica
Made in Costa Rica | © Shared Interest/Flickr

The golden pineapple, the type grown in Costa Rica, is one of the sweetest of the 37 varieties of pineapple. The flavor embodies the tropics and even has a slight coconut essence to it. A bite of fresh pineapple straight from the source is like biting into a piña colada!

Pineapple is sold in nearly every farmer’s market, roadside stand, family-owned grocery store, and food store chain in Costa Rica. It is one of Costa Rica’s most prized and widely consumed and exported fruits.

Playa Grande, Costa Rica
Perfectly ripened pineapples | © Janine/Flickr

Aside from being intoxicatingly delicious, pineapple is also rich in nutrients that can greatly benefit your health and wellbeing. As if the taste alone isn’t enough to motivate you to indulge in this tropical treat, here are 10 ways that consuming pineapple is beneficial to your health.

  1. Reduces inflammation (inflammation is the root of most chronic diseases)
  2. Strengthens the immune system (super high in vitamin C)
  3. Decreases your risk of heart disease
  4. Aids in digestion
  5. Promotes collagen production (hello, beautiful skin!)
  6. Supports oral health
  7. Prevents certain types of cancer (mouth, throat, and breast)
  8. Improves circulation (increase in cognitive abilities and decrease in risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease)
  9. Regulates blood pressure
  10. Boosts bone health

In just one cup of pineapple there are:

  • Calories: 82.5
  • Fat: 7 grams
  • Protein: 1 gram
  • Carbs: 6 grams
  • Fiber: 3 grams
  • Vitamin C: 131% of the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake)
  • Manganese: 76% of the RDI
  • Vitamin B6: 9% of the RDI
  • Copper: 9% of the RDI
  • Thiamin: 9% of the RDI
  • Folate: 7% of the RDI
  • Potassium: 5% of the RDI
  • Magnesium: 5% of the RDI
  • Niacin: 4% of the RDI
  • Pantothenic acid: 4% of the RDI
  • Riboflavin: 3% of the RDI
  • Iron: 3% of the RDI

Pineapple is quite extraordinary in a smoothie or a rum cocktail. The RipJack Inn smoothie bar and cocktail bar has a great selection of smoothies and cocktails that feature this delectable fruit.

RipJack Inn Restaurant, Playa Grande
Nothing beats the heat like a freezing cold fresh fruit smoothie

Try these pineapple beverages at the RipJack Inn Restaurant:

Clockwork Orange smoothie: pineapple, carrots, celery, and apples

Basil Bomb smoothie: pineapple, basil, celery, and orange juice

Beet Blast smoothie: pineapple, beet, celery, ginger, and lime

Go Green smoothie: pineapple, spinach, cucumber, flaxseed, and moringa

Piña Colada: pineapple, coconut, and rum

Rum Punch: pineapple, mixed fruit juices, and dark rum

*You can also get creative and create your own pineapple concoction that can be whipped up on the spot for you.

One of the best things you can do for your body is to eat REAL food that comes from the earth. One of the best things that you can do for the local economy and the environment is to eat locally produced food. Costa Rica sure makes it easy and delicious to do both!

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