FEBRUARY 12, 2007

AGGRESSIVE Action: Costa Rica's Alonso Solís Friday maintained strong defense to steal the ball from his Honduran opponents during the Central American Soccer Cup (UNCAF), played in San Salvador. Costa Rica beat Honduras 3-1.

Open-Air Art: Olga Madrigal Friday stopped to check out a series of new posters in kiosks along the pedestrian boulevard on Avenida Central. This public art exhibit, which features drawings and paintings by Costa Rican students, is a joint project by the San José Municipality and Public Education Ministry.

Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern over Costa Rica's poverty during a ceremony Saturday when the new Costa Rican Ambassador to the Vatican, Luis París, presented his credentials, according to the daily La Nación.

Four Costa Rican producers of organic goods plan to head to Germany this week for the BioFach organic fair in Nuremberg, according to a statement from the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER).

A Costa Rican identified by the name Edwin Zamora accused of trafficking marijuana to the United States was arrested Thursday in the U.S. city of Hartford, Connecticut, according to a statement from International Police (INTERPOL) released Friday.

Pope Benedict XVI Concerned
Over Poverty in Costa Rica

Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern over Costa Rica's poverty during a ceremony Saturday when the new Costa Rican Ambassador to the Vatican, Luis París, presented his credentials, according to the daily La Nación.

The Pope said he is worried about an increase in poverty in Costa Rica and asked the government to take “urgent means that take into account individuals, families and society,” adding that domestic violence, a lack of public safety and migration from neighboring countries are products of poverty that concern him and the Catholic Church.

President Oscar Arias disagreed with the Pope that poverty has increased and said that it has remained more or less the same since 1994.

However, he agreed that Costa Ricans “can't continue being witnesses to the worst form of violence: poverty, which snatches food away from families, jobs away from single mothers and education away from our youth,” according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

Arias pointed to his administration's plans to reduce poverty by 4% by 2010 and combat school dropout through the program Avancemos (Let's Get Ahead).

The President also applauded the Pope's view of poverty as a problem that cannot be solved without an examination of the country's values. “Economic growth and a strengthening of our institutions will bring the country little benefit if as individuals we are not generous and do not act in solidarity,” he said, according to the statement.

-Tico Times

Costa Rican Producers to
Participate in German Organic Fair

Four Costa Rican producers of organic goods plan to head to Germany this week for the BioFach organic fair in Nuremberg, according to a statement from the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER).

These growers will display their products along with 3,500 others from 120 countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa during the fair, which runs from Thursday to Sunday.

Among Costa Rican organic producers and organizations participating are the Association of Small Producers of Talamanca, in the southern Caribbean, which produces pulp from organic bananas and other fruit, and the Foundation for Costa Rican Agro-Industrial Development (PROAGROIN), which provides financial and technical assistance to Costa Rican organic farmers.

Others include Costa Rican Cacao Products and First Aloe de Costa Rica, which exports aloe vera extract for energy drinks and skin creams.

The BioFach fair, one of the most well-known of its kind, showcases not only organic food products, but also personal care and home products, the statement said.

Organic agriculture in Costa Rica accounts for more than 10,000 acres of farmland and about 6,500 farmers, according to the Production Ministry. The main organic products grown here are coffee, bananas, sugar and cacao.

-ACAN-EFE

Alleged Tico Drug Dealer Arrested in Connecticut

A Costa Rican identified by the name Edwin Zamora accused of trafficking marijuana to the United States was arrested Thursday in the U.S. city of Hartford, Connecticut, according to a statement from International Police (INTERPOL) released Friday.

INTERPOL, together with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had been investigating the whereabouts of Zamora and had had a warrant for his arrest since September 2005.

He was arrested near a fast-food restaurant in Hartford where he had been working for several months, the statement said. He remains under the custody of ICE in Hartford and faces deportation to Costa Rica.

-Tico Times

Police, Coast Guard Oversee
Puntarenas Carnival Festivities

The annual Carnival festivities in the Pacific port city of Puntarenas were in full swing this weekend with a horse parade, or tope, music and food, along with an increased police presence to make sure it all went smoothly.

The National Police were aided this year by the Costa Rican Coast Guard and the newly created Tourism Police, according to a statement from the Public Security Ministry. Tourism Police officers receive specialized training in security issues affecting tourists, and some speak a second language (TT, Dec. 22, 2005).

Additionally, lifeguards were on duty to watch over visitors who chose to swim in the ocean.

The Puntarenas Carnival continues next weekend with more music and cultural activities. The Public Security Ministry asks all visitors to watch over their belongings carefully while at the event, not bring objects of value and not leave their cars in isolated or unprotected areas.

Few plant species can be considered a marvelous discovery that has transformed human culture. Bactris gasipaes is definitely one of those rare cases in which a plant provides a wide variety of products for different uses. The peach palm supplies two of the most delicate and exquisite vegetable products Costa Rica exports to the world: peach palm (pejibaye) and heart of palm (palmito).

It is thought that plantations already existed by the time Columbus arrived on Costa Rica's Caribbean island of Uvita in 1502, which was appropriately named La Huerta (The Vegetable Garden). It wasn't until 1541 to 1546 that the first reference to the peach palm appeared in official colonial records, when Spanish settlers entered the southern hills of the Coaza Cacique territory in today's Talamancas, an area in which a tree locals called “pijibay” (pronounced pe-hee-BYE) was more than prominent and utilized by the locals in many ways.

Conquerors discovered how not only the fruit but also the core of the palm was consumed, and that the palm fronds were used for thatch and the tree trunks for timber. At that time, the peach palm was cultivated throughout southern Mexico and Central America to the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon regions. Although today the peach palm grows in most tropical areas of the globe, its potential production scale is still in its infancy.

Mixing Palm Products: Pejibaye and palmito in Chef Marco's “Mocha Mexicali Sauce” with cumin rice.

Marco González | Tico Times

Costa Rica and Brazil are the leading exporters of peach palm products. Pejibaye and palmito are considered delicacies sent abroad to gourmet markets in the industrialized world. The pejibaye itself is so unique in taste that it has been described as somewhere between a sweet potato and a water chestnut, with a unique bright orange color and nutty texture. It is a versatile ingredient that can be cooked in many ways, either savory or sweet. Flour, starch and oil are extracted from the flesh for both industrial and domestic uses. Palmito is one of the crispiest and delicious of the edible palms; its rich aroma and consistency are comparable to those of tender bamboo shoots.

Chefs from around the globe continue to be inspired by these two ingredients, creating a melting pot of techniques, recipes and ideas. Their versatility means they are adaptable to almost any kind of cuisine, style, technique or flavors. Commonly found in gourmet markets of New York, London and Tokyo, their prices in these far-off locales certainly categorize them as “elite” ingredients, deserving of regal treatment.

Many Costa Rican and Brazilian scientists are dedicated to the collection, distribution and expansion of knowledge of this “perfect palm.” Costa Rica is the largest exporter of peach palms in the world, and one of the top exporters of heart of palm, thanks largely to the effort of Jorge Mora and his colleagues at the University of Costa Rica, whose dedication and hard work are the backbone of the Pejibaye Research and Technology Transfer Program. Gathering all information available, they have created a database of all things peach palm. From seed banking to general information, their efforts to utilize the palm in different ways is finally paying off as peach palm is put to use in new ways, such as animal fodder and industrial raw materials.

Costa Ricans have a keen taste for pejibaye and palmito, and are quite discerning when it comes to quality. Surprisingly, however, the use of pejibaye in local gastronomy is rather shy, and it is usually served simply as boiled peach palm with mayonnaise or in soup or bread. The same goes for heart of palm, usually appearing in salads and in the quintessential Tico pie, pastel de arroz con palmito, a creamy, buttery, cheesy baked dish with simple flavor but lots of character.

For this recipe, I chose to combine the two amazing products from this versatile tree into one recipe, fusing their flavor and providing a Caribbean twist. ¡Buen provecho!