Breakfast time! In my house in the United States as a child, breakfast was often grab and go, with cereal, bagels, and English muffins with peanut butter featuring prominently on the menu.
Not so in Nicaragua. A traditional Nicaraguan breakfast is warm, filling, and made right before serving. Most of my friends here are shocked that I could get through the day on a piece of toast with jam - where are the rice and beans?
Like any true Nicaraguan child, my 3-year-old loves a good Nicaraguan breakfast. She can eat an entire plateful and still down a fresco de melon right after. She especially loves her gallopinto con crema, maduro frito, y aguacate. ¡Ñam ñam!
What is served in a Nicaraguan breakfast?
Gallo pinto
Breakfast - whether eaten at home or out - is almost always anchored by the Nicaraguan staple, gallo pinto. Gallo pinto is red beans and rice fried together in vegetable oil.
Gallo pinto is a simple dish, but believe me, there are a lot of opinions on how it should be made. Should you add a little extra onion and green pepper (chiltoma)? Should it be more toasted and crunchy, or softer? Drowning in oil, dry, or somewhere in between? This provides fodder for many a family debate.
Note that gallo pinto looks different if you are traveling in Costa Rica, which also claims the dish as its own, but the ticos usually make it with black beans, extra vegetables, garnishes, and condiments like Salsa Lizano (similar to Worcestershire sauce). I am, of course, team Nicaraguan gallo pinto!
Tortilla or fried sweet plantains
To go with the gallo pinto, you will almost always see a freshly made corn tortilla (none of that stuff from the bag, please!) or fried sweet plantains (maduro frito). In Northern Nicaragua, you may even be served both, but usually it's one or the other.
Eggs
Eggs are a key component to the Nicaraguan breakfast. Most often eggs are simply scrambled, but fried eggs and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, green pepppers, and onions are also seen.
Cheese and/or Sour Cream
A dairy product typically features on the Nicaraguan breakfast plate. These dairy products are often homemade and sold by the local "cheese stand" in each pueblo.
The cheese can be presented in different ways:
Queso fresco
Queso seco
Fried cheese
Cuajada, which is essentially milk curd
Coffee
Coffee is a staple that is served with breakfast. Many Nicaraguans add a lot of sugar to their coffee; creamer is less common.
Extras
These are a few optional extras sometimes served with breakfast:
Avocado
Pico de gallo
Fried ham or salchichon
Homemade juice
Fresh tropical fruit (often served in fancier restaurants, but not really typical)
FAQ about a Nica Breakfast
Why didn't they give me avocado? In the U.S., we are accustomed to eating avocado year round, even though the avocado probably traveled thousands of miles to get to us. In Nicaragua, most restaurants have an asterisk after the avocado on their menu - only served when in season.
Why is the coffee instant? Too often, instant coffee or "Cafe Presto" is served with breakfast. I would rather have any coffee than no coffee, but I would much prefer a fresh-brewed cup of the delicious, locally-produced Nicaraguan coffee that grows in the North. However, the majority of the coffee produced in Nicaragua is destined for exportation around the world, and families choose the cheaper option of instant coffee to accompany their daily breakfasts.
Ordering a Nicaraguan Breakfast
Here are a few vocabulary words for ordering your breakfast:
Un desayuno típico, por favor: Your standard phrase to get a nice big plate of food - a traditional breakfast, please.
Huevos revueltos: Scrambled eggs
Maduro frito: Fried sweet plantains
Queso: Cheese
Crema: Sour cream (not as thick as sour cream in the U.S.)
Agucate (solo en temporada): Avocado (only available when in season)
Café sin azúcar: Coffee with no sugar - make sure to specify that you don't want the sugar added directly, or you will get a very sweet cup of coffee!
¿Café Presto o de palo?: Is the coffee instant or ground? Useful for trying to figure out if you're going to get brewed coffee or instant.
Where in Managua can I get a good traditional breakfast?
Here are a few recommendations of restaurants serving up a traditional Nicaraguan breakfast in Managua that are foreigner-friendly:
La Cocina de Doña Haydee - Carretera a Masaya km 4.5
Mi Viejo Ranchito - Carretera a Masaya km 17
Guirilas el Tata - Carretera a Masaya km 11.8
Leche Agria El Vaquerito - Carretera a Masaya km 12.3
Comments