04 Jun Nicaraguan snacks you should definitely try

So you’ve made it to your hostel and you’re ready to experience the local life, which wouldn’t be complete if you haven’t tried our traditional food. We recommend to carry and/or buy Nicaraguan snacks for your walks around Managua or any city you’ve chosen to visit. They will keep you and your stomach happy. Hereby we share a few options worth the bite:

→ Fruits

People can find a lot of “changarritos” (a local word to describe small shacks where street vendors sell snacks and refreshments) that display a colorful variety of seasonal fruits.

Mango and jocote seasons (between April and September) are always a good time for a “foodie”. You’ll spot street vendors offering bags full of chopped mangos and huge, crunchy jocotes in almost every corner of Managua, the capital city where you’ll find plenty of touristy things to do, even if everybody says you should skip it.

But what on Earth is a jocote? – you might ask. A “jocote” is a Tropical, small and round fruit that can be found hanging from the trees in the Pacific and Central side of Nicaragua. We’ve got around 50 species of jocotes, but they are usually green, red or yellow (in case you’re a fan of semi-sweet taste). No matter which one you choose, never skip adding salt and “chile” (carried around in a plastic bottle and has a brownish funky color, so don’t freak out!)

When talking about everyone’s “go-to” fruits, the most common and easiest to find are bananas, watermelon cut in slides, and pineapple chunks. Enjoy!

→ Fresh cheese

Coming down in the scale of healthy treats there’s Nicaraguan fresh cheese. Usually, vendors park their vehicles outside big supermarkets or highly trafficked streets.

These people sell different types of fresh cheese at affordable prices when compared to those at the grocery stores, and of course they offer the freshest options. We strongly recommend to try “quesillo” (soft), “queso fresco” or “queso frescal”.

However, this is not a complete snack. You ought to combine your cheese with freshly made “tortillas”. Ask the vendor to put a piece of your cheese inside the tortilla and, after one bite, you’ll leave the place with a big smile while devouring your amazing Nicaraguan food.

→ “Chucherías”

Last but not least is the unhealthiest snacks of all: “chucherías nicas”, which pretty much consists of a bunch of fried stuff that will make you fat for sure, but will give you a happy belly!

You can find these at parks, stadiums, bus stops, university campuses or simply by the street. The most common ones are “churritos” (little fried crunchy dough), “enchiladitas” (crunchy deep fried corn flour) and the best seller of all times: the “platanitos” or plantains (little round cut pieces of green bananas, which are later deep fried).

All of these snacks come in little bags. You can open them and put some chile on (same as with mangos), full of a salty and a bit spicy flavor. We bet you won’t have just one!

These street snacks don’t necessarily meet the highest health standards, but we can assure you that Nicaraguans make them with lots of love. It’s safe to say that this is a part of living the local everyday life in Nicaragua, and you won’t regret it!

The staff at La Bicicleta Hostal is always eager to help you find the most traditional places or the most popular seasonal fruits. We will give you the best advice since we enjoy making fresh squeezed juice and natural smoothies for ourselves.

Take some time to find us on Facebook or Instagram: @labicicletahostal, or visit our website: www.labicicletahostal.com