Vigorón

Vigorón is said to have originated in Granada, where it was first created in 1914, but it is now popular throughout Nicaragua. It is classified as a street food because it is typically sold at bus stations and stops, markets, along roadsides, or by street vendors. It is sold wrapped in a plantain leaf, which locals simply unwrap and eat with their hands, no cutlery required!

Vigorón is made with a wholesome base of yuca (cassava) that has been boiled to a soft and creamy consistency, crunchy pieces of chicharrón or charrasca (fried pork belly or pork rinds), and a repollo salad of cabbage, carrots, and tomatoes that has been drizzled with vinegar and seasoned with salt. It's absolutely delectable.

Some Nicaraguans believe that vigoron is incomplete without the addition of mimbro, a tangy fruit from the cucumber tree. When sold by street vendors, this combination of ingredients is served in banana leaves. Mara Luisa Cisneros Lacayo, who had an interesting nickname – La Loca – is thought to have invented vigorón in Granada in 1914.

Dr. Alejandro Barberena Pérez claims she named the dish after seeing an advertisement for the eponymous medicinal tonic.