Colombian cuisine explained

Colombian cuisine is a culinary tradition of the six main regions within Colombia (Pacific, Amazonian, Andean, Orinoco, Caribbean, and Insular). Colombian cuisine varies regionally and is influenced by Indigenous Colombian, Spanish,[1] and African cuisines,[2] with a slight Arab influence in some regions.[3]

History of Colombian food

Colombian food is a unique blend of indigenous, European traditions, and Afro-Caribbean influences. The two largest indigenous groups prior to European conquest were the Tairona, who lived along the Caribbean coast, and the Muisca, who lived in the highlands to the South.[4] Arepas, made from ground corn, is one of the oldest cooked dishes in Colombian cuisine and a popular modern dish. It is believed that the name derives from the word for corn in the Chibcha languages.

Regional cuisines

Colombian dishes and ingredients vary widely by region; however, some of the most common ingredients include an endless variety of staples: cereals such as rice and maize; tubers such as potato and cassava; assorted legumes; meats, including beef, chicken, pork, and goat; and fish and other seafood. Colombian cuisine also features a wide variety of tropical fruit.[5] [6]

Among the most representative appetisers and soups are sancocho de gallina (chicken soup with root vegetables), of beef, of pork ribs or triphasic, sancocho of fish, the ajiaco (potato and corn soup),[7] [8] patacones (fried green plantains), and buñuelos (Christmas season deep fried dough balls).

Representative snacks and breads are arepas (corn cakes), tortas de choclo, almojábanas, pandebonos, aborrajados (fried sweet plantains with cheese), empanadas, and mogollas.

Representative main courses are bandeja paisa, lechona tolimense, tamales, and fish dishes such as arroz de lisa, especially in coastal regions where suero, costeño cheese, peto costeño made from white corn, kibbeh, and carimañolas are also eaten.

Representative side dishes are papas criollas al horno (roasted Andean potatoes), papas chorreadas (potatoes with messy cheese), and arroz con coco (coconut rice). Organic food is a current trend in big cities, although in general, the country's fruits and vegetables are very natural and fresh.[9]

Representative desserts are natillas, bocadillo made of guayaba (guava jelly), cocadas (coconut balls), casquitos de guayaba (candied guava peels), torta de natas, obleas, flan de arequipe, roscón, milhoja, brevas (preserved in syrup) con arequipe, and tres leches cake (sponge cake soaked in 3 types of milk).

Typical sauces are hogao, a tomato onion sauce, and ají, a spicy raw cilantro-based sauce used as a condiment for many dishes and sides, which can be used for most foods. Ají sauce comes in many different varieties based on region and ranges from a sweet flavour to very spicy. Ají picante can range from 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville.

Some representative beverages are coffee (tinto), aromáticas, champúss, cholados, luladas, avena colombiana, sugarcane juice, aguapanela, chocolate caliente, and fresh fruit juices (often made with sugar and water or milk as batidos).[10]

There are a large variety of dishes that take into account the differences in regional climates. For example:

Piqueteaderos are rustic eateries that serve a variety of fried foods and specialties on platters to share. Offerings can even include huesos cerdos (pig bones) and tarta de seso (brain pie), as well as fried dishes, morcilla, corn on the cob, and other foods common to Colombia.

Dishes and foods

Appetizers and side dishes

Name Image Description
Arepasground maize dough divided into balls and pan-fried or grilled corn cakes
Aborrajadodeep-fried plantains stuffed with cheese
Arroz con cocorice with coconut and raisins
Hormigas culonaslarge roasted ants, a santandereanas food from Colombia's Santander Department
Butifarras soledeñassausage from Soledad, Atlántico
Carimañolayuca fritter stuffed with ground meat, onion and seasonings
Chunchullopig, lamb, cow's small intestine
Hogaocriollo sauce
The image contains: a table with patacones and hogao
Queso blancowhite cheese, also referred to as queso fresco
Sueroa topping similar to sour cream
Green plantain fried or deep fried squished and fried
Empanadassmall fritters, made with a mixture of shredded meat, pork, beef, or chicken'
Chicharrondeep fried pork rind
Lentil soup
(Sopa de lentejas)
a standard meal in many Colombian kitchens. The basic method is to soak the lentils for a few hours before adding chopped onion, garlic, and sometimes diced or grated carrots. It is then served with avocado, rice, tomato, and sweet plantain[11]

Pastries and baked goods

Varieties of arepa

Fruit

Fruit and juice stands are found across Colombia, particularly on the Caribbean coast.[12] Being a tropical country, Colombia produces a large variety of fruits, such as:

Native fruit

Colombia is home to numerous tropical fruits that are rarely found elsewhere. Several varieties of bananas include a very small, sweet version. Other fruit varieties grown in Colombia include mango, apple, pear, grape, blackberry and strawberry.

Main courses

Soups

Desserts and sweets

Beverages

On a per capita basis, Colombia is one of the world's largest consumers of fruit juices, consuming on average more than three-quarters of a serving each day.[17]

Alcoholic beverages

See also

Notes and References

  1. Ossa . Humberto . Aquino . Juliana . Pereira . Rui . Ibarra . Adriana . Ossa . Rafael H. . Pérez . Luz Adriana . Granda . Juan David . Lattig . Maria Claudia . Groot . Helena . Carvalho . Elizeu Fagundes de . Gusmão . Leonor . 2016-10-13 . Outlining the Ancestry Landscape of Colombian Admixed Populations . PLOS ONE . en . 11 . 10 . e0164414 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0164414 . free . 1932-6203 . 5063461 . 27736937. 2016PLoSO..1164414O .
  2. Web site: The lasting influence of Colombia's African heritage . Colombia.co . 2018-07-01.
  3. News: A Cheat Sheet to Colombian Food. Eater. 2018-11-30.
  4. Book: Foss, Richard. Food cultures of the world encyclopedia. limited. Greenwood. 2011. 978-1-78539-412-6. Albala. Ken. Santa Barbara, California. 75. Colombia. 915350255.
  5. Web site: Typical Colombian Food. 30 October 2013.
  6. Web site: Colombian Food: Variety, Tradition and Nature Fruits. going2colombia.com. 30 October 2013.
  7. Web site: Receta: cómo preparar ajiaco, el plato típico colombiano (in Spanish) - Recipe: how to prepare ajiaco, the typical Colombian dish . El Espectador, Jorge Márquez, 2021-03-24. 2024-07-08.
  8. Web site: 'Cocina ancestral': ¿cómo hacían el ajiaco los indígenas muiscas? (in Spanish) - 'Ancestral cuisine': how did the Muisca indigenous people make ajiaco? . 16 October 2018 . Canal Trece (Colombian TV channel), Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Paula López and Jaison Rodríguez, 2018-10-16. 2024-07-08.
  9. Web site: Colombian Food; A List of Traditional and Modern Colombian Recipes. southamericanfood.about.com. 30 October 2013. 2 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131102023313/http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/exploresouthamericanfood/tp/Colombian-Food.htm. dead.
  10. Web site: 10 Colombian Drinks You Must Try Before You Leave. 30 October 2013.
  11. Web site: 2021-05-27 . 15 Traditional Coffee Zone Dishes BnB Colombia Tours . 2022-04-23 . en-US.
  12. Web site: 100 Plantas del Caribe colombiano (in Spanish) - 100 Plants of the Colombian Caribbean. 2024-07-05.
  13. Web site: Cocido boyacense: el rescate de los tubérculos nativos (in Spanish) - Boyacense stew: the rescue of native tubers. Radio Nacional de Colombia, Gloria Morad, 2022-07-31. 2024-07-08.
  14. Web site: Receta: ¿cómo preparar changua? y sus ingredientes (in Spanish) - Recipe: how to prepare changua? and its ingredients. El Espectador, Angela Martin Casas. 2024-07-11.
  15. Web site: Receta: cómo preparar una tradicional sopa de mute (in Spanish) - Recipe: how to prepare a traditional mute soup. El Espectador, Jorge Márquez. 2024-07-11.
  16. Web site: Postre de natas. tasteatlas.
  17. Singh, Gitanjali M., et al. "Global, regional, and national consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, and milk: a systematic assessment of beverage intake in 187 countries." PLoS ONE 10.8 (2015): e0124845.
  18. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1121 Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia
  19. Web site: Erica Dinho . Fruit Cocktail (Salpicón De Frutas) . My Colombian Recipes . 2009-02-17 . 2013-07-11.
  20. Web site: El canelazo, una bebida para espantar el frío (in Spanish) - Canelazo, a drink to ward off the cold. Diario Correo, Perú, 2017-06-25. 2024-07-10.
  21. News: Chicha. Colombia.com. 2016-10-23.
  22. Web site: Una guía de fermentados y destilados caseros de las regiones colombianas (in Spanish) - A guide to fermented and homemade distillates from the Colombian regions. 22 November 2022 . Colombia Visible, Andrés Ortiz. 2024-07-10.
  23. Web site: Chirrinchi, el licor del desierto guajiro (in Spanish) - Chirrinchi, the liquor of the Guajiro desert. 22 March 2015 . El Heraldo (Colombia). 2024-07-10.
  24. News: Masato. Colombia.com. 2016-10-23.
  25. Web site: El refajo. www.semana.com. 24 June 2006 . 2016-10-23.
  26. Web site: ¿No sabe qué es el Sabajón? Aquí le decimos qué es y cómo se prepara (in Spanish) - Don't you know what Sabajón is? Here we tell you what it is and how to prepare it. 11 April 2016 . Periódico digital El Campesino, Colombia, 2016-04-11. 2024-07-10.
  27. Web site: 2018-07-24. Colombian Drinks: Traditional, Popular, Unique, Tasty, and Crazy. live. 2022-01-03. The Unconventional Route. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20180825114421/https://theunconventionalroute.com/colombian-drinks/ . 2018-08-25 .