Back to the world tour - Nicaragua
"Land of volcanoes and lakes"
I confess I have let my world cuisine tour slide somewhat. Nicaragua has been next on my list for some time, and I have half-heartedly begun 'researching' it a few times, but every time I could not muster up the enthusiasm to continue. Mostly I think, because of the same kind of foods cropping up all the time. And I will come to that.
But first a few words re geography and history. This photograph shows that it is large and is also the third most populous country in Central America. The narrow strip below is centred on the Panama canal, so it is poised between Mexico and the South American continent. And look at those huge freshwater lakes - the largest in Central America and the 19th largest in the world. There are also several volcanoes as you can see from the rather stunning opening photograph.
Because of the volcanoes the soil is rich and agriculture (after tourism now) is the largest industry, with it sometimes being called the bread basket of Central America. Corn, cocoa, coffee, tobacco are the main crops but there are also large herds of beef - it is agriculture's largest export.
Historically and politically the country has been somewhat turbulent from the time of the Spanish conquest. The Spanish ruled most of the current country until the mid 19th century when Independence was gained, but the British ruled on the Caribbean coast, until they ceded their part to the Spanish part. Like virtually all of Latin America, there is therefore a rich cultural mix of indigenous people, colonial invaders and slaves. In Nicaragua America has also played its part in intervening in the country and occupied the country from 1910-1933, later intervening in the civil war between the Sandanistas and the Contras in the 1980s. There were previous and later civil wars and long periods of dictatorship.
Today, although theoretically democratic, in fact it is ruled by Daniel Ortega - now in partnership with his wife Rosario Murillo as his vice-president. The people are poor and there is mass migration to the US in particular. Alas it seems that this is nothing unusual in this part of the world.
So what about the food? Well, as I implied I am being somewhat slow in my tour around the borders of the Caribbean Sea. Possibly because, although there are regional differences, overall there is a sameness to the food - rice and beans, fish and shellfish, tortillas and plantains with the odd beef stew. Maybe it's a personal prejudice, but there really does not seem to be the same variety in this part of the world as there is in the continent of Europe. Italian food is not the same as French, German or Greek food and definitely nothing like British food. Although of course, today every country everywhere in the world has a cuisine that is changing due to outside influences. The arrival of the colonial powers made a difference but of the two-way process I'm guessing the impact of the discovery of the Americas' foods on Europe was far greater than the impact of Europe's foods on the Americas. Except perhaps for the rice and the livestock - cattle, sheep, goats horses. I do confess, however, that this is only an impression. I have not explored it more fully.
So let's start with the rice and beans - and another national dish - Gallo Pinto which means 'spotted rooster'. It's more than ubiquitous - apparently they eat it at every meal, in slightly different guises - this is the breakfast version when it is eaten with eggs. For lunch there would be meats such as chicken and maybe a green pepper or two. The main difference between this and the same dish from elsewhere is that the beans are small and red, not black and that there is not much to it - rice, beans, garlic, onions, and maybe a green pepper. No chilli. Comfort food I guess, and useful for using up leftover rice.
In spite of reading in several places that corn was the main driver of the cuisine - e.g.:
"throughout Nicaragua’s history, corn has been so basic and omnipresent that you even find it in the country’s beverages. It’s in the food carts on the street and in the fine dining restaurants at the resorts. You can’t hide from Nicaragua’s corn." Mark Orwoll/The Daily Meal/Linkedin
yes in spite of that I did not see much evidence of corn in actual dishes. Just a little here and there, and those barbecued corn cobs were never featured in 'best of' lists.
Plantains, however, were. And in fact one website - Backpack Me - presented, as her first choices three different ways of frying plantains found everywhere: Tajadas, in which lengthways sliced plantains are fried in oil until crispy; Tostones, in which plantains sliced across are fried until soft, drained, compressed and then fried again and Maduros in which ripe plantain is slowly cooked in oil with sugar.
Street food, in fact is considered to be one of the main planks of Nicaraguan cuisine. The first example of this is Nacatamales from the same Backpack Me - a Sicilian lady I believe:
"dough prepared with ground corn and butter, stuffed with small pieces of pork or chicken, rice, potatoes, onions and sweet peppers. Then the mixture is packed in plantain leaves, folded and boiled for a long time to reach tasty perfection."
Slightly different from a Mexican tamale I guess, especially in that the leaf is from a plantain rather than corn or banana.
More street food - the quesillo:
"It consists of a freshly baked corn tortilla which is layered with thin slices of a cheese called quesillo, then wrapped up in a plastic bag. A salad of pickled onion is added, and finally fresh cream is poured over, with a bit of salt. They are messy to eat, and heavy but oh so tasty." Backpack Me
I'm not sure whether they always have the plastic bag but they did seem to be on everyone's list.
As was Vigoron:
"a plate is covered in plantain tree leaves and then layered with yucca, chicharrón (pork scratchings) and ensalada de repollo. The name literally means “very vigorous” as it supposedly gives a lot of energy! " Backpack Me
Two dishes for the family home were Mondongo soup - a soup whose main ingredient was tripe - ugh - and Indio Viejo (old Indian) a stew of shredded beef:
"meat is cooked with onions, garlic, sweet peppers and tomatoes. Tortillas are softened in water and grounded till they form a dough. The meat is shredded then fried with the vegetables, the dough and orange juice and finally broth is added. Not for the faint of heart!" Backpack Me
I'm not sure about that one either, but I'm guessing this is more a traditional indigenous dish.
They do have a rather luscious looking cake however - probably from the Spanish conquistadores - Pastel des tres leches - made with three kinds of milk - condensed, evaporated and plain. I think the topping would be coconut which may well flavour the cake as well. Somebody described it as having some of the characteristics of a cheesecake.
In spite of several guides to Nicaraguan food talking about the Caribbean coastlands having a different cuisine based on fish, seafood and coconut - also ubiquitious around the Caribbean - I did not see any such dishes listed in anybody's list of what you should eat in Nicaragua. Which is a little curious. But that's the least populated part of the country - and it was British, so maybe it gets ignored.
Next on my list - Costa Rica and Panama, then maybe Colombia and Venezuela before heading out into the Caribbean again for a bit more island hopping.
YEARS GONE BY
October 21
2022 - Is it possible to keep it simple - and cheap? - apologies - I seem to have deleted the pictures from this one.
2021 - Missing
2020 - Missing
2018 - The food of love
2017 - Broccoli
2016 - A word from Elizabeth David
Interesting looking, but not sure I am drawn by the food or the political climate in Nicaragua. Despite Backpack Me's enthusiasm! 🤔