Latin America is legendary for its scrumptious meals, and Colombia doesn’t disappoint. In truth, sampling Colombian meals is without doubt one of the high causes to go to Colombia. Like its nation, Colombian delicacies is various and thrilling.
You might spot the odd Caribbean meals or Peruvian dish in these 28 finest dishes – Colombian delicacies is massively influenced by its surrounding areas and colonial historical past. The nation is cut up into six areas, every of which has its personal regional specialties as nicely. Remember that there are regional variations when touring round Colombia’s must-see cities – you don’t need to miss out on a specialty dish.
28 Traditional Colombian Dishes
Ready to discover the perfect Colombian meals? Whether you need to try some Colombian delicacies at home or are visiting Colombia and are excited to try native dishes, this information will introduce you to the perfect. We’ll cowl every part, from Empanadas to Frijoles Rojos. Let’s dive straight in.
1. Colombian Empanadas
Colombian empanadas have been a favourite dish since colonial occasions. Its look is very similar to a Cornish pasty, and the pastry is folded over with a filling inside. It’s simple to spot with its attribute semi-circle form and pinched edge.
You’ll discover floor meat, potatoes, cheese, and hogao (tomato salsa sauce) inside. Of course, there are some recipe variations – particularly for meat-free variations of the dish. Colombian empanadas are easy to make at home and scrumptious to eat in Colombia. If you need a fast, simple snack, empanadas are probably the greatest Colombian dishes.
If you need to try an empanada earlier than you journey to Colombia, you may comply with this recipe to make your personal at home.
2. Pandebono
The legend behind pandebono is that an Italian baker dwelling in Cali created the bread. When he offered it, he used to stroll the streets shouting ‘pane del buono’ (good bread); the title caught, and the bread turned probably the most fashionable Colombian meals.
So, what’s it precisely? The bread can also be nicknamed Colombian cheese bread, which ought to offer you a great trace. It is made with melted cheese, yuca flour, and eggs and formed into bagel or ball shapes. You can eat pandebono at breakfast, as road meals, or as a aspect at dinner – it’s a versatile dish. Remember that it’s best eaten when it’s nonetheless heat out of the oven. Pandebono is a dish supposed to be eaten as recent as doable.
To get in the temper to your Colombian travels, make your personal Pandebono at home with this recipe.
3. Bandeja Paisa
Bandeja paisa might be essentially the most iconic Colombian meals in this information. Some even go so far as to name it the nationwide dish. Bandeja paisa is a platter-styled meal with an assortment of meats, a fried egg, white rice, corn, plantain, pink beans, and an avocado. The meats embody minced beef and chorizo sausage to chicharron. You’ll often discover an Arepa on the plate, too (extra on that later).
Bandeja paisa is typical of Colombia’s Antioquia area and, like frijoles rojos, was excellent for employees spending lengthy days in the mountains and on farms. Bandeja paisa packs a nutritious punch and is filled with protein and carbohydrates. It stays a well-liked lunch alternative and is one to try for those who go to Colombia. Make your recipe at home by following this recipe.
4. Frijoles Rojos
Frijoles Rojos is a particular Colombian dish that makes use of cargamento beans, additionally known as pink beans. This Colombian meals is especially wholesome, and pink beans are an awesome supply of iron, potassium, low-fat protein, and fiber. It is a stew-like concoction, and the pink beans are blended with tomatoes, onion, and garlic. It is then often served on high of a portion of rice.
Frijoles rojos was initially a laborer’s meal. It is budget-friendly and filled with vitality and vitamins – excellent for fueling a tough day at work. However, Frijoles Rojos have turn out to be a broadly eaten dish in Colombian delicacies. Watch this simple video to make it your self.
5. Bananos Calados
Bananos calados is one in all Colombia’s finest desserts and comes from the Quindio area, close to the Andes. It may not look (or sound) appetizing, however it’s simply one of many tastiest meals you may try from Colombian delicacies. The dessert consists of fried bananas blended with lime juice and served with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, making a candy but tangy deal with to your tastebuds. Occasionally, you might also discover the lime juice changed by orange juice and cinnamon – so hold your eye out for any distinctive recipes.
Colombia has a number of native fruit, and you’ll simply see that this has impressed many conventional recipes. Bananos calados are one meals to try in order for you to expertise Colombia’s dessert scene. Make this scrumptious candy at home to carry again recollections of your travels to Colombia.
6. Chicharron Colombiano
Chicharron Colombiano is fried pork stomach, a hearty dish coated in onions, bay leaves, and seasoning for an excellent style. Chicharron is filled with taste and served with a crisp texture that has been perfected over generations of cooking. It is a typical dinner dish and is related to household and custom.
The dish is typical of Colombia’s Andean area. However, it originated in Spain and was launched to Colombia by Spanish colonizers. The Spanish recipe varies vastly; rind or stomach cuts can be utilized, in contrast to the Colombian model. You’ll discover that the majority nations in Latin America have their very own model of chicharron. Get prepared to try as many alternative variations as doable. Colombia has since taken a agency spin on the dish, although, and chicharron has nicely and actually entered Colombian delicacies.
7. Coconut rice
Forget white rice; coconut rice is the tastiest. As its title might recommend, coconut rice is cooked with coconuts, giving it a yummy taste and getting it a spot on this checklist as a meal in its personal proper. There are two predominant methods coconut rice is ready: cooking it in coconut milk or mixing it with shredded coconut. Cooking it in coconut milk is the perfect, as you get a stronger coconut taste.
The historical past of coconut rice is a little bit of a thriller. The dish is scattered throughout the globe, particularly in Asia and South America. However, since coconuts are one in all Colombia’s most typical tropical fruits, it’s no thriller why they’re so prevalent in Colombian delicacies. If you get the prospect to try it, coconut rice is a tasty dish.
8. Pescado Frito
Pescado Frito is a traditional, conventional Colombian meals. Pescado Frito interprets as fried fish and is served complete, with pores and skin and head intact. It is usually a little daunting for those who aren’t used to consuming fish like this. However, you’ll quickly be gained over, as cooking the fish in its pores and skin boosts its taste and retains the fish meat moist. You can count on a lot juicer meat than you’d get consuming fillets and fish steaks.
In Colombia, the fried fish is often mojarra or pink snapper. The fish is sliced after which flavored with lime and seasoning, typically sitting in the juice for some time to actually absorb the flavour. It is served with rice, plantain, and salad – the proper lunch dish.
9. Arepa de Huevo
Arepa de huevo is a variation of ordinary arepas, that are fried corn desserts. Arepas are a massively fashionable breakfast meals and are additionally thought-about considerably of a consolation meals. Arepa de huevo are one of many tastiest variations with egg. Preparing them includes frying a corn cake, splitting it, and filling it with an egg, then frying it once more to cook dinner the egg inside. The result’s a fried egg coated in fried bread.
It isn’t any shock that arepas de huevos are probably the most fashionable dishes – particularly for breakfast. They are served in stacks (like pancakes) as a standalone dish. Just decide your sauce to match, salsa and bitter cream are nice decisions. See this recipe to get up with a style of Colombia.
10. Sopa de Pollo
Sopa de pollo interprets as rooster soup, and it’s one other comforting meal in Colombian delicacies. It is honest to say that it’s in all probability the commonest Colombian soup and is broadly eaten throughout the nation. The rooster soup can also be filled with plantain, corn, potatoes, and yuca. In truth, it’s so stuffed with substances that it typically seems extra like a stew than a soup.
Of course, rooster soup is discovered worldwide, however Colombia’s model is especially scrumptious. The mix of substances like plantain and yuca is far more distinctive, and infrequently Colombian recipes use a complete rooster.
Sopa de pollo is a superb Colombian meals to try when visiting or to recreate at home. It is finest cooked slow-cooked and served piping sizzling and is a type of one-pot dishes the entire household loves.
11. Morcilla
Morcilla is a blood sausage made with floor pork and pork blood. Morcillas are simply noticed due to their darkish, deep reddish-brown colour. They are a really conventional dish throughout Latin America. You shouldn’t have any downside discovering some to try for those who go to Colombia. And for those who like black pudding, you might be in for a deal with.
Morcillas are ready from scratch, and the method includes squeezing the combination into sausage casings. The floor meat is blended with pork blood, onions, and rice earlier than being put into casings. Colombian recipes have a tendency to add cilantro and sometimes inexperienced peas as nicely. The sausages are then often boiled to cook dinner.
12. Cazuela de Mariscos
Ready for a Colombian seafood dish? Cazuela de mariscos is without doubt one of the hottest Colombian dishes in coastal areas, particularly alongside the Caribbean Coast and Cartegena. It is a typical meals and seafood casserole or seafood stew – filled with every part from prawns to mussels and lobster. The meats are cooked in coconut milk with a mix of greens. You would possibly even have white wine and cheese added to the combination if you’re fortunate.
Cazuela de mariscos is an iconic dish when visiting Colombia’s shoreline. What is best than a recent seafood dish? Most of the time, the substances have been simply caught out of the Caribbean Sea. This is unquestionably one to your checklist while you go to Colombia. Or try making it at home with this yummy recipe.
13. Colombian Bunuelos
Bunuelos are deep-fried balls filled with recent cheese – an ideal afternoon snack or breakfast chunk. Strangely sufficient, they’re typically served alongside sizzling chocolate and low, so you may typically discover bunuelos at cafes in Colombia.
Bunuelos are probably the most fashionable Colombian meals. The recipe creates dough from yucca flour, cornstarch, eggs, milk, and sugar. The deep-fried dough is then made, with the bunuelos organized into their attribute appetizer-sized ball form and floated in a pan of boiling vegetable oil.
It is believed that bunuelos have been launched to Colombia by Spanish invaders. The snack is now eaten throughout Colombia as road meals and cafe or restaurant deal with. Bunuelos are particularly fashionable at Christmas time. We discovered this simple to comply with recipe on YouTube
14. Obleas
Obleas is not only a typical Colombian dish; it’s loved throughout Spain and Latin America. Obleas appears like a sandwich, and that’s exactly what it’s. The traditional dessert consists of two wafers that sandwich a filling of dulce de leche and infrequently a mix of fruit, whipped cream, and jam. The Colombian model is sort of an identical however provides one particular ingredient – Colombian caramel.
If you’ve bought a candy tooth, obleas are probably the greatest typical Colombian desserts to try. You’ll discover them all over the place, from cafes to road stalls.
15. Lechona
Lechona is a Colombian meals for particular events. The dish consists of a complete roasted pig filled with onions, peas, potatoes, pork fats, white rice, garlic, and spices like cumin. After the pig has had its bones eliminated and has been stuffed, it’s positioned in the oven and slow-cooked (typically for up to ten hours).
Needless to say, lechona is meant to be the culinary masterpiece of the desk. It is a dish designed to be shared with giant teams of individuals while you need to splash out on a flowery meal. You will typically discover particular person servings of lechona at eating places round Colombia, although, so hold your eyes peeled.
16. Cholado
Let’s set Colombian meals apart for a second. Cholado is without doubt one of the finest drinks in Colombia, so let’s introduce you. The drink is a refreshing combination of shaved ice, recent fruit, and sweetened condensed milk. Depending on the place you get one, you might also discover the drink served with ice cream, wafers, and whipped cream.
Cholado originates from Jamundi in Valle de Cauca. It is a combination between dessert, fruit cocktail, and drink – ticking all of the containers creatively and deliciously. If you’re keen on recent fruit and candy treats, it’s a nice drink to try when visiting Colombia, but easy sufficient to recreate at home.
17. Carimanola
Carimanolas are simple to spot. The tiny fritters are formed into attribute torpedo shapes, often served in bulk as bitesize appetizers. They are a conventional Colombian meals, though you’ll additionally discover carimanolas in different Southern American nations like Panama.
Inside, carimanolas are filled with floor beef or shredded rooster, cheese, and seasoning. The fritters are then deep-fried to create a kind of meat pie. They are gentle and crispy on the surface but comfortable on the within. More typically than not, carimanolas include aji sauce. This vivid inexperienced sauce primarily consists of cilantro and is sweet and spicy – the proper aspect. Want to try them earlier than your travels? Head over to comply with this recipe
18. Colombian Sopa de Mondongo
While mondongo typically has a stew-like consistency, it’s really one other typical Colombian soup. The soup consists of onion, potato, beef tripe, chorizo, and pork, all served piping sizzling in a small bowl. It is a extremely conventional Colombian meals, and also you’ll discover mondongo at most eating places throughout the nation.
Like many Colombian dishes, sopa de mondongo is believed to have been launched by Spanish colonizers. The tomato-based soup has been firmly adopted into the Colombian culinary scene, although, and Colombian variations of the recipe have a particular twist.
19. Fritanga
Fritanga is a platter dish. The dish is broadly offered amongst road meals distributors and consists of a mix of meals heaped onto a big plate – often barbecued on the road. So, what meals will you discover in fritanga? Usually, chorizo, sausage, plantain, and a mix of greens.
Fritanga is a Nicaraguan dish, though it has turn out to be adopted into Colombian delicacies. The story behind its origin is a tragic one. The meal was first created after the 1931 earthquake, which hit Nicaragua, and other people cooked meals on the road with barbecues.
Now, you’ll discover fritanga cooked throughout Latin America and Colombia. It is a historic, tasty, and filling dish to try.
20. Bocadillo
A bocadillo is a scrumptious Colombian meals made with guava paste – a product of a well-liked tropical fruit. The dish is extraordinarily candy and a particular deal with and dessert. It has a melt-in-your-mouth texture however is in any other case not sticky to the contact. Bocadillos solely require a couple of substances, largely panela and guava pulp, so they’re easy to make in order for you to recreate the dish at home.
You’ll typically discover bocadillos served at cafes, often alongside a slice of salty white cheese. They come minimize into little rectangles or squares and are the proper bitesize treats.
21. Aborrajados
Aborrajados are one dish that you simply don’t discover as simply. It originated in the Valley de Cauca and is a regional specialty. The artistic (if barely bizarre-sounding) dish consists of deep-fried plantain filled with cheese to create a crispy, wholesome cheese chunk. The highest place to try aborrajados is in the area of the Valley de Cauca itself, the place you’ll discover the dish most prevalently anyway.
Aborrajados are served as snacks or appetizers earlier than a big meal. Don’t rule out the dish at pudding time, although, as you may add guava paste to the fried dish to create a candy deal with for dessert.
22. Arroz con Pollo
Arroz con pollo actually interprets as rice with rooster. It is an easy however staple Colombian meals and very similar to Spanish paella. The dish consists of rice, rooster, onion, and greens, with saffron tossed by means of the combination for added taste.
If you need a filling dish, arroz con pollo is an excellent alternative. Plus, it’s simple to discover and is broadly served at eating places and road vendor stalls throughout Colombia. It is believed that arroz con pollo originated in Spain whereas the nation was below Moorish affect. When Spanish colonizers arrived in Colombia, it’s presumed that the dish was launched to Colombian meals tradition.
23. Cocadas Blancas
We’ve coated tons from Colombia’s coastal area. But what a few dessert from the Caribbean Coast? Cocadas blancas is a brilliant candy dessert to your checklist. The dish is made with a mixture of shredded coconut, sugar, milk, and coconut water. Depending on the place you try it, you might also discover further substances like cinnamon – most individuals have their very own twist on the traditional recipe.
Cocadas blancas are often offered on the road and alongside Colombia’s seashores. However, you will discover them on dessert menus in eating places too. They are scrumptious meals, sticky and candy. You are in for a deal with attempting one.
24. Colombian Hot Chocolate
Speaking of desserts, sizzling chocolate is one other candy deal with that Colombia excels at. The Colombian model of sizzling chocolate known as Santafereno. It could be very totally different from the European and American variations of the drink. Instead of candy milk chocolate, the Colombian model makes use of darkish, unsweetened chocolate. Santafereno is usually made in water, not milk, with cinnamon or cloves typically added to counteract any bitterness. It might sound unusual, however Colombians are additionally well-known for dipping cheese in their sizzling chocolate – which you’ll or might not need to try.
Another factor that’s necessary to know is that Colombia has been utilizing chocolate for hundreds of years. Chocolate is produced from cacao timber, that are discovered in areas of Colombia and the Amazon basin. Colombia isn’t alone both; cacao has been used all throughout Latin America way back to the Aztecs and Mayans.
25. Calentado
Calentado is a staple in Colombian gastronomy and is a dish rooted in recycling leftovers from the night time earlier than – its title actually interprets as ‘heated’. The dish was born out of poverty to restrict waste, however now it is without doubt one of the most conventional meals in Colombia.
The most typical substances in a calentado dish are white rice, plantain, and steak. It is then typically topped with a fried egg and arepas, maybe even served with a sizzling chocolate or espresso. By the character of the dish, calentado was primarily cooked at home. Of course, now you’ll discover it on menus throughout the nation. At eating places, you have a tendency to additionally discover avocado and sausage served alongside the usual substances.
26. Fried Plantain
Fried plantain is yummy Colombian meals. To the untrained eye, you might be forgiven for mistaking them for bananas. They look an identical, besides plantains are a lot bigger, much less candy, and solely turn out to be ripe as soon as they flip black. In their yellow phases, plantains are excellent for frying, which is the place deep-fried plantain comes in.
The neatest thing about fried plantain is its versatility. You might have it savory with breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Or you may caramelize it and have it as a dessert. You might pair it with an egg, or you may pair it with ice cream.
Fried plantain tastes like a potato, and the crisp outer layer provides method to a comfortable, squishy inside. You gained’t have any points discovering fried plantain in Colombia (or Latin America), so try it your self.
28. Colombian espresso
If you’re keen on espresso, you might be in for a deal with. This conventional Colombian drink is world-famous, and the quantity of espresso beans grown in Colombia is thrilling for any caffeine fanatic. For essentially the most half, Colombia grows Arabica beans, that are gentle and candy to style, in contrast to the extreme Robusta. The proven fact that Arabica is a bit weaker than Robusta might be a great factor, although, since, in Colombian espresso tradition, it’s drunk most from late afternoon to early night. Not from the morning to early afternoons like in the US and Europe.
A good way to expertise Colombian is to go espresso tasting. And in order for you to go espresso tasting in Colombia, prioritize visiting Medellin or Manizales. These areas are famed for his or her espresso beans and have varieties named after them. You can e-book excursions round native espresso plantations or go to native cafes.
27. Maracuya
Maracuya would possibly sound unfamiliar, however the likelihood is excessive that you simply’ve seen one earlier than. Passion fruit may not be a dish as such. Still, tropical fruits are such a longtime a part of Colombian gastronomy that we had to embody them on this checklist. Passion fruits are a deep purple on the surface, with a waxy, protecting outer pores and skin. Cut open, they reveal a tangy, scrumptious mattress of yellow seeds. These seeds might be eaten straight from the fervour fruit or used as an ingredient for merchandise like ice cream or juice.
Passion fruits develop throughout South America and are believed to have initially come from the Northern Argentina area earlier than spreading out in reputation throughout the continent. Not planning a go to to Colombia? No downside. You can try ardour fruit worldwide since it’s a vital export product.
Colombian meals is without doubt one of the finest cuisines in the world. There is a lot to try, so get began as quickly as doable. Luckily, if you’re visiting Colombia, there are many meals excursions to pattern conventional Colombian delicacies – main you round the perfect spots. You can take a look at our greatest journey suggestions right here as nicely.
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