Chorreadas is a type of pancake from Costa Rica made of ground corn or corn flour, milk and eggs. This dish is often served with sweet or savory toppings. Chorreadas’ few simple ingredients make it an ideal breakfast or snack between meals.
Traditional Chorreadas recipes call for only three ingredients and are best made with freshly ground corn. However, modern recipes often call for the addition of flour and do not require fresh corn. The flour added to the pancakes often makes them more fluffy and easy to rise without affecting the corn flavor of the pancakes.
A wide range of toppings can be added to Chorreadas. Savory Chorreadas are typically viewed as a breakfast food while sweeter variations might be enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. For a savory twist, popular toppings include bacon, sausage, and sour cream while the batter can be seasoned with garlic and oregano. Sweet variations will use bananas and honey as toppings and cinnamon and vanilla as seasonings.
Chorreadas are often enjoyed with coffee, aqua dulce, or seasonal fruit juice.
Origin & Cultural Significance
It is well known in Costa Rica that this dish came from indigenous traditions, employing the staple crop of corn and the cooking style of frying on a flat pan over an open flame. Due to this, the dish is often associated with the countryside as well as fairs and festivals, where it is sold at food stalls.
Corn has been domesticated and grown in Central America for nearly 8,000 years and thus has functioned as a staple crop of not only Costa Rica but many other countries in the region. This has led to an abundance of similar corn dishes shared between the countries of the region.
Despite this, Chorreadas is an iconic Costa Rican dish that finds its origin in the farming communities of the Guanacaste peninsula, a region that is known around the world for its population’s health and longevity.
Costa Rican Chorreadas Recipe
Chorreadas is a type of pancake from Costa Rica made of ground corn or corn flour, milk and eggs. This dish is often served with sweet or savory toppings.
Ingredients
- Yellow corn - 2 cups (4-5 ears)
- White sugar (for sweet version, optional) - ½ cup
- Whole milk - ⅓ cup
- Flour - ¼ cup
- Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
For savory flavor (optional):
- Oregano - 1 tbsp
- Garlic, minced - 1 clove
Instructions
- Prepare your corn, either by slicing the corn from the cob or draining the canned whole kernel corn.
- Using a food processor, blend together the corn, flour, milk, and sugar/ garlic and oregano (depending on if you are making the savory or sweet version)
- While blending the ingredients, heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the skillet with vegetable oil.
- Using a tablespoon of batter at a time, pour the batter into the pan into a flat, round pancake. Fry both sides.
- For the sweet chorreadas, you can add syrups or honeys as toppings. If you made the savory version, top with cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 109Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g