Gastronomy!

Rice & beans/ Google Images

 The Afro-Costa Rican´s food is characterized for the ingredients this community had found easy to get, not only because they are common to see and accessible in Limón but also because of versatility and good flavor.

→ Names they have used on their food are kept historically from Africa, as it is common of migrant people to add and contribute to the enrichment with their own food customs, not only with names but certainly usage. (Ross, 2003)

→ Native Jamaican dishes, and others from the variety of immigrants that have come to this country have repercussions in the all the Caribbean’s food, and that is what shows the real origin of their culture.

→ Exuberance and flavors are characterized by the mixtures of coconut, panamanian green pepper, beans, fish and green leaves(Tomillo, madero negro, zacate limón, some flowers...)

Soups and Stews 

Patty

Pan Bon and many desserts

→ What we can rescue of the taste and ways to cook is their imagination, for them is very normal to take one product and transform it into so many forms, all different ways to present a dish makes this culture exuberant and special.  

→ Eating habits and preferences are shaped by traditions, they classify certain dishes as more special than others, and some used to be kept for certain days only, like the rice&beans that was preserved for Sundays and big family reunions only. As the interviewee affirmed that older people in Limón used to have an established menu for every day of the week, which is very different from now. She gave us the following list of the main dishes and cooking methods: Rice&beans is their star dish, Rondón and other soups, "atoles", puddings, desserts like Pan bon, rice puddings with corn(chichemi), cookies and cakes and a huge variety of dishes. "Our food´s culture has a bit of everything" .Food is a very significant way to manifest culture; we can see that if it was passed on from generation to generation and helped the integration of families it can still do it now, but with a lot of efford. 

Conclusion

As we can analyze from a cultural point of view, there are many dietary elements that changed for the migrations, and most of the exchanges, adaptations and poverty have shaped their likes and dislikes. We can see in one plate a bunch of cultural elements and identity. Let us have bites of Limón whenever possible, there are many restaurants and people willing to teach us their special flavors.

Based on current opinions of the interviewee we notice the devotion with which they cook, the importance of their huge food legacy faces challenges nowadays with young generations but there are many colorful traditions that should be kept. The way their ancestors used to cook and share with family is seen with nostalgia now that many eat fast food, so we have a big responsibility there; to appreciate, learn and respect.

Work Cited

Ross, Marjorie. (2003).La magia de la cocina limonense: rice and beans y calalú. Editorial UCR. Web.26may . 2016
Interview of a woman from Limón, Doña Ruth from the Afrocarribean Reastaurant: Grandma´s Food