Those who love new, traditional and unique foods will have a Tico resource. The culture ministry is coming forth with the first edition of  Cocina Tradicional Costarricense.

The book includes recipes from two cooking contests. One was in 2001 in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, and the second was in Puntarenas in 2003.

This is a project of the Centro de Investigación y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural of the Ministerio de Cultura, Juventud y Deportes. The idea is to learn about traditional dishes and drinks from those who make them. Other contests were in Cartago, Heredia and Ciudad Colón, but those recipes will be in another book.

Cocina Tradicional Costarricense will be introduced to the public Saturday at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Poder Judicial in Santa Cruz. There is a parade planned at 8 a.m. Those who participated in the contests have been invited, and  Yanori Alvarez, who complied the book, says the day is of great cultural importance and it is appropriate that those who helped create the book will be there.

The heritage center recognizes that Costa Rican food differs by regions. And some of the recipes in the first book make that clear.  Gallina enchida is a stuffed chicken more closely identified with Nicaragua.  Chicheme is a corn-based drink well known in Panamá. Guanacaste, due to its location, has strong influences from Nicaragua to the north and the world from the sea.

Scheduled to attend the book presentation are María Elena Paniagua, mayor of Santa Cruz;  Sandra Quirós, centro director;  Fernando Valera, dean of the Colegio Universitario de Puntarenas, and members of the Asociación de Desarrollo Comunal de Santa Cruz.

The ministry said that the new book contains four chapters. The first discusses pre-Columbian foods in Costa Rica, like the chayote, corn, avocado and similar as well as those foods that are appropriate for the climate, like rice, sugar cane, coffee and bananas.

It is in chapter two where the recipes from the contests will be found. As a condition of entering the contest, cooks had to provide a written recipe. Just like in the contests, the recipes may be for a dessert, a main dish or a drink.

Guanacaste recipes include vino de marañón (cashew wine),  torta de arroz (rice cake) and  sopa de cuajada (a beef bone soup). Dishes from Puntarenas include budín de higos (fig pudding), sopa de patacones (fried banana soup) and  pipián relleno con camarones (pipián squash filled with shrimp).