Nicaragua Food: 5 Must-Try Traditional Dishes From This Central American Country

By Rick Martin Sep 30 2023, 17:30 PM EDT

Despite the turmoil happening in the country, Nicaragua has started booming with visitors from around the world. Among those attracting tourists is its food, as Nicaraguan cuisine, though underrated, is gaining some popularity from abroad.

According to Culture Trip, self-described foodies are heading to Nicaragua to sample some of its more traditional foods. They often flock to high-end restaurants, hole-in-the-wall eateries, local markets, and street corner grills to try and get a taste of this Central American country.

5 Traditional Nicaraguan Food You Must Try

There are plenty of great dishes to try in Nicaragua, and we have picked five dishes that we think are definitely must-try foods:

Gallo Pinto

Of course, whenever we talk about traditional Nicaraguan food, we must always start with the country's national dish, Gallo Pinto. Basically, this is beans and rice but with a Nicaraguan twist.

The name means painted rooster, and it is made with red beans, white rice, and diced onions. These are fried together before adding in the water that the beans were boiled in. This gives the rice its reddish color, thereby making it look "painted" and explaining the name.

Naca Tamales

Naca Tamales, or Nacatamal, is translated to "Meat Tamales." The name originated from the Nawat language of Nicarao people who live in Nicaragua's South Pacific Coast, according to L'Academie.

Much like tamales from other parts of the world, Nacatamal's main ingredient is corn dough. However, instead of getting wrapped in corn husks, this one is stuffed with chicken or pork and then wrapped in banana leaves. Some versions also have other ingredients stuffed inside, such as rice, bell peppers, raisins, and olives.

Vigoron

This dish's name roughly translates to yuca and cabbage salad. It is a classic Nicaraguan dish made of boiled yuca mixed with a cabbage salad and topped with chicharones, aka crispy pork skin. The dish itself is said to have only been developed in 1914 but has now become one of Nicaragua's most popular foods.

Cosa de Horno

While the three dishes above are straight-up meals, this dish is often served as either a snack or as an appetizer. It is often enjoyed with a delicious freshly brewed cup of coffee, according to Chef's Pencil. So what is Cosa de Horno? It is actually a Nicaraguan pastry of sorts, made of corn dough that has cinnamon, milk, and sugar mixed in before getting baked.

Buñuelos

Of course, we have to end the list with a dessert, right? Buñuelos is a popular holiday dessert in Nicaragua, typically enjoyed every Easter and other national holidays. It is often sold in street stalls and is quite cheap and nutritious, too. This dessert has a base of cassava and cheese. It is then deep-fried until golden and crispy. It is known for being crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and is flavored with cheese and cassava before getting topped with honey syrup or powdered sugar.