The Baking Biologist: Los Sabores de Costa Rica

Chocolate and caramel (chocolate y caramelo) gelato. Rich and creamy; the chocolate is intense and deep brown, tasting of Fudgesicles of summers past while the caramel has a slight saltiness but a richness that is hard to forget. Best when eaten together, but delicious separate as well. The three miniature scoops in my pequeño disappeared too quickly, leaving behind only a mixture of different shades of brown liquid lining the plastic cup and a small silver spoon.

I have admittedly tried at least half of the flavors of gelato at Gelly’s, in the 29 days that I have been here (no judgment please). And, I hope to try all of them except dreadful, dreadful coconut (and maybe not coffee either). I justify it because trying flavors at Gelly’s means that I am having a gelato date with friends or Skyping with those I love back home. So, maybe it isn’t such a bad thing to try all the flavors.

Also, I want my experience at Gelly’s to be like my experience here in Costa Rica. I want to try out all the flavors of this beautiful country, getting a taste of the culture, natural beauty, people, beaches, and language. This is especially true as I am planning my spring break. I want to experience everything possible. A chocolate tour and stay at an eco-lodge is coming up soon. Let me know if you have any ideas! Below is a quick recap, in pictures, of what I have been up to.

Carara National Park- El Sur:

A crocodile in the Rio Tarcoles

A tree frog, I love this picture for some reason!

At Playa Azul, a trash-covered beach that still has a beautiful view of the ocean and mountains

The trashy part of the beach, sadly this is what it looks like on a good day

Milking a cow

Extracting juice from sugar cane

Left, the drink from the raw sugar cane juices that we extracted. Right, the final product, after being boiled down for seven hours, was blocks of brown sugar-like sweetener.