La comida de Nicaragua

The food in Nicaragua, for the most part, is quite simple. Gallo pinto is the most common dish. It's a mixture of rice and beans. If you are lucky, it's cooked with some onion and garlic for a little extra taste. I personally enjoy the dish but it does get old quick.

During the week I have lunch at a woman's house in the community. The meal always includes rice and beans but we usually have chicken, avocado or plantains on the side. Everything has been tasty so far and I look forward to trying new Nicaraguan dishes.

There is a huge market in Granada. It is still overwhelming to me when I walk through it on the way to the bus. Pretty much everything under the sun is sold at the market from fruit to shoes.

A lot of food is sold on the street. My favorite so far is gallo pinto, cheese, ensalada (kind of like our coleslaw but with no mayo base), plantain chips, onions and carrots mixed together inside a banano leaf. The most common food bought off the street is refrescos. Freshly squeezed fruit serve in a plastic bag with a straw sticking out. It's much cheaper than going to the store and buying a bottle of juice.

I took a cooking class last night which was both educational and fun. We made gallo pinto, empenadas, ensalada and a refresco. We used mashed up plantains as the base of the empenadas and stuffed them with cheese. It was the first time I truly felt full after eating a meal here. Can't wait to try and make the empanadas on my own. Maybe one of you will be the lucky one who I make some traditional Nicaraguan dishes for when I get home!

Interesting fact: Bananas are called bananos here. I'm not sure why but it's funny to hear little kids yelling, "banano, banano!"