Dining etiquette in Nicaragua

Dining etiquette in Nicaragua is similar to that found in Mexico and Guatemala. The dining etiquette information presented below is Nicaraguan variations on general Latin American dining etiquette as found on the Mexican dining etiquette page. Dining protocol for toasting. Salud is the most common toast (to your health). Dining etiquette for getting started. Wait until the host says, "Buen provecho!" before you start eating. Dining etiquette regarding the use of utensils. Nicaraguans eat in both the American and European styles (alternating the knife and fork) (keeping the knife in the right hand and the fork in the left throughout the entire meal).

Dining etiquette for communicating with the waiter. After the meal, the knife and fork are placed parallel to each other across the right side of the plate. If you leave both utensils on the plate for an extended period of time, it indicates to the wait staff that you are finished, and your plate may be removed from you. Alternatively, if you place your cutlery on either side of the plate, it indicates that you haven't finished; however, if you are, the host may interpret this as a sign that you were dissatisfied with the meal.

Eating bread dining etiquette Bread, if substituted for tortillas (rarely), is sometimes served without butter; in this case, there is usually no butter knife or bread dish; your bread is placed on the rim of your main plate or on the table by your plate. If tortillas are served, use them to scoop up bits of food on your plate.