Vigorón
Vigorón is a traditional Nicaraguan dish. It consists of a cabbage salad known as curtido (chopped cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and chili pepper marinated in vinegar and salt), boiled yuca, and chicharrones (fried pork belly or fried pork rinds) wrapped in Banana leaf.[1] This dish is often eaten without utensils, and it is frequently served to visiting family and guests, as it is generally easily and quickly prepared.
It is believed that vigorón was first conceived between 1949 and 1950 by Modesta Lacayo, the sole proprietor of Kiosko Modesto, located in El Parque Colonial in Granada. Alternately, Dr. Alejandro Barberena Pérez, in his 1971 book "Granada," stated that María Luisa Cisneros Lacayo, "La Loca," developed the recipe in 1914 in Granada, Nicaragua, and she named the dish Vigoron after seeing a poster advertizing an early 20th-century medicinal tonic by that name (USPTO Serial 71068023).
Since its conception, the dish has become a staple in many Nicaraguan households. Of course many familial and cultural variants have arisen, especially in the variations of curtido. In addition, variants of vigorón exist in other surrounding countries, notably Costa Rica, where the dish is quite popular.
Vaho, a dish very similar to vigorón, is also a traditional Nicaraguan dish. However, a distinction is made in the manner of cooking: vaho is pressure-cooked, vigorón is not.