Fair Drink · Rice And Cinnamon Cooler
Horchata
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Unlike the almond-based horchatas found elsewhere, the Costa Rican version is built entirely from rice simmered with cinnamon, no nuts involved at all.
Toasted rice is ground and simmered with cinnamon, then whisked with milk and sugar into a chilled, spiced drink. Vendors at San José's fairs and markets ladle it from large jars into plastic cups over ice.
Why it's made this way: San José's fairgrounds and central markets have long been the drink's main sales point in Costa Rica, serving it as a cooling counterpart to the capital's fried street snacks.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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