Picadillo is a common Costa Rican boca or snack. It means finely chopped—picar is to chop. The diminutive ending, “illo”, makes it finely chopped.
Picadillo is made mostly of a starch—potatoes, chayote squash, etc.—and assorted olores—aromatic flavorings like onions, sweet chiles, garlic, and such. It usually contains some meat, but most restaurants are very stingy with the meat to keep costs down. The meat is often carne mechada, finely pulled pork or beef. Ground meat (carne molida) can also be used.
Many different things can and are used for picadillo. I am very fond of using tender squash (ayote tierno), green enough that the skin can be grated and used. Arracache, arracacha in English, is an Incan root from Peru that was brought here by the Spanish. My absolute favorite is chayote squash root—hard to find.
– Advertisement –
Picadillo is served as a gallo, a pile of the picadillo on top of two or more tortillas. This is eaten by pulling opposite sides of the tortilla up together—it is not rolled up like a taco. Many tourists and foreigners insist on calling gallos tacos—they are not. If you really like losing arguments, try telling a Tico that gallos are tacos.
Chicasquil is a small bushy tree with edible leaves. It is also called espinaca maya (Mayan spinach) and chaya. Actually, biologists say that chaya and chicasquil are closely related, but different, plants. I will leave that discussion to the botanists. They are both edible and have sap that may give you a rash. I can touch my chicasquil plant with my hands, but if I get sap on the softer skin of my forearm it will give me a mild itchy rash for a couple days.
To use chicasquil you should boil it for 10-15 minutes to remove some very mild toxins. It can then be chopped up and added to the picadillo. It is extremely nutritious, commonly compared to the food value of spinach.
Chicasquil has been consumed in Central America for thousands of years. In fact, the chicasquil plant has lost the ability to reproduce on its own—it requires a human to break off a branch and plant it. Chicasquil takes root very quickly.
Adding chicasquil to picadillo is very old-fashioned and rural. You are most likely to find it at a town fiesta as an example of old-style Tico cooking.
– Advertisement –
Source link
Jack Donnelly
