In Costa Rica, spring rolls are popularly known as Taco Chino.
The nickname means “Chinese taco,” reflecting the roll’s appearance and its association with Chinese-Costa Rican restaurants. The more literal Spanish term is rollito de primavera, or “little spring roll,” but Taco Chino is the especially familiar popular name in Costa Rica.
These rolls are commonly served as an appetizer or entrée in Chinese restaurants across the country. Their name should not be confused with a Mexican-style taco: the Costa Rican Taco Chino is a rolled, usually fried wrapper filled in the style of a spring roll.
Costa Rica’s Chinese food tradition is part of a broader multicultural restaurant scene. Other countries use different names for similar foods: Chile uses arrollado primavera, Argentina may use empanaditas chinas, and northwest Mexico uses chunkun.