One of the best things about travel is discovering new foods.
I love fresh fruit, fish and seafood, but all three are hard to come by in Pennsylvania. (Well, inexpensively, at least.)
Costa Rica -- and much of Latin America, actually -- have plenty of each.
During past travels, I've discovered the wonders of arepas and mamones (Venezuela), maduros (Ecuador), pernil with rice (Puerto Rico), jicama, queso blanco and real pico de gallo (Mexico).
In Costa Rica, I discovered palm hearts, or palmito, as they're called there.
You can order salads of them almost anywhere. Apparently you can get them canned here in the United States if you look for them, but I never have. I didn't know I would like them or what to do with them. Now I do. But a coworker told me that they're harvested in a way that isn't sustainable, so I don't know how good I'd feel about making them a regular part of my diet. But they sure are good.
I also fell in love with fresh guananaba, or chirimoya, juice. It's like drinking heaven.
What are the best food discoveries you've made in your travels? Post a comment and share.
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