All aboard the international cruise of flavors.......This crazy cruise ship has embarked upon a world tour, with curious and hungry cachers aboard. The itinerary is every country in the world, one restaurant at a time, all without leaving the confines of Central NJ. 47th Stop ... Costa Rica!
Join the Central Jersey Cachers as we venture to Central America!
Wednesday, May 18 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Banderas Restaurant & Deli
41 Park Ave.
Summit, NJ
Enjoy delicious food and good company as this wacky cruise ship voyages across the Pacific Ocean to the Central American country of Costa Rica!
Costa Rican cuisine incorporates several staples of Latin American cuisine yet differentiates itself by being much healthier with the inclusion of an array of fresh fruits and vegetables. It is also known for being fairly mild. Rice and black beans are a staple of most Costa Rican meals, often served three times a day. “Tico” (the local name for anything Costa Rican) food is nutritionally well rounded, and nearly always cooked from scratch from fresh ingredients. Traditional meals have a home-cooked, comforting feel to them. Due to the tropical location of the country, many exotic fruits and vegetables are readily available and included in the local cuisine. A variety of dishes can be found at lunch counter restaurants (“Soda”) throughout Costa Rica.
Casado (literally, “married”) is the most common dish in Costa Rica. It consists of beans, rice with finely diced red bell peppers and onions, fried plantains, a cabbage salad with tomato and carrot, and a choice of meat between chicken, fish, pork, or steak with grilled onions. The meat that comes with a casado is grilled or sautéed, but never fried. Sometimes the casado includes french fries or extra vegetables such as avocados.
Ceviche is a popular “boca” (tapas or appetizer) consisting of fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lime with finely diced herbs and veggies. In Costa Rica, the best ceviche is made with local tilapia or corvina (white sea bass) and cilantro, garlic, hot pepper, onion, and celery. Gallo Pinto is the typical breakfast in Costa Rica. It consists of rice and beans mixed together (not separate like the casado), fried or scrambled eggs, chopped beef, fried plantains, and tortillas. A popular custom in Costa Rica is to pour Salsa Lizano, a sweet greenish brown salsa, over the gallo pinto.
Olla de Carne , or "pot of beef", is a flavorful and nutrient-rich stew made with chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, chayotes, plantains, yuccas, sweet potatoes, green plantains, and camotes. Costa Rican “Tacos” are shredded beef wrapped in a corn tortilla and deep fried, covered with shredded cabbage, mayo and ketchup. Empanadas are made with corn, not wheat flour, and are fried or baked dough filled with cheese, beans, potatoes, or chicken. They are popular as a snack between meals and are best eaten with a dollop of hot sauce.
World Culinary Cruise Itinerary
1 - Mexico - July 16, 2012
2 - Greece - August 23, 2012
3 - Japan - September 12, 2012
4 - India - October 11, 2012
5 - Russia - November 14, 2012
6 - Poland - December 5, 2012
7 - Ireland - January 22, 2013
8 - France - February 26, 2013
9 - Spain - March 13, 2013
10 - Thailand - April 30, 2013
11 - Portugal - May 28, 2013
12 - United States of America - June 4, 2013
13 - Afghanistan - July 11, 2013
14 - Egypt - August 6, 2013
15 - United Kingdom - September 18, 2013
16 - Sweden - October 16, 2013
17 - Peru - November 6, 2013
18 - Germany - December 20, 2013
19 - Ghana - January 7, 2014
20 - Polynesia - February 19, 2014
21 - Sri Lanka - March 13, 2014
22 - Korea - April 22, 2014
23 - Jamaica - May 22, 2014
24 - Vietnam - June 25, 2014
25 - Mexico - July 23, 2014
26 - Mongolia - August 19, 2014
27 - Persia - September 17, 2014
28 - Philippines - October 15, 2014
29 - Dominican Republic - November 19, 2014
30 - Trinidad - December 10, 2014
31 - Nigeria - January 20, 2015
32 - Lebanon - February 18, 2015
33 - Cuba - March 24, 2015
34 - Brazil - April 21, 2015
35 - Turkey - May 27, 2015
36 - Hungary - June 6, 2015
37 - Canada - July 15, 2015
38 - Guyana - August 31, 2015
39 - Ethiopia - September 8, 2015
40 - Pakistan - October 14, 2015
41 - Columbia - November 24, 2015
42 - Malaysia - December 8, 2015
43 - Argentina - January 20, 2016
44 - Cameroon - February 17, 2016
45 - Taiwan - March 22, 2016
46 - Morocco - April 26, 2016
47 - Costa Rica - May 18, 2016
Where will this ship pull into port next? Only the pink flamingo knows....
