Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [25]
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Food & Drink
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STAPLES & SPECIALTIES
DRINKS
CELEBRATIONS
WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
VEGETARIANS & VEGANS
HABITS & CUSTOMS
EAT YOUR WORDS
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Colombians are blessed with a fertile country – fish and plantain on the coast; an eye-popping array of tropical fruit, coffee, chocolate and dairy in the mountains; and cheap, fresh vegetables and meat on all corners. The preferred cuisine is unseasoned, unspiced food, prepared simply and ungarnished. Simplicity is key here. This is not Mexico – put a drop of hot sauce in a vat of stew and no Colombian will touch it. This is not Argentina – the steak here is good, but not the pampas-fed delicacy of that southern country. Nor is it Spain, the colonial master whose political (and gastronomic) influence was never as strong here as it was elsewhere. Rice, beans, some meat or fish, a salad, fresh tropical fruit juice, and your average Colombian is content.
Or perhaps Colombians prefer simple food so they can taste the natural ingredients. The quality of food here is high (as is the high standard of hygiene in its preparation), meaning even those with the most jaded taste buds will find something unique to tempt their palate.
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For 199 exceptional photographs and 133 regional recipes try the extraordinary Taste of Colombia (1997) by Benjamin Villegas and Antonio Montana.
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STAPLES & SPECIALTIES
Colombian cuisine is referred to as comida criolla (Creole food). There are two distinct regional variations of comida criolla – the mountain highlands, where most of the population lives, and the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. They differ primarily in availability of ingredients (more fish and plantain on the coast, for example).
Breakfast in Colombia, regardless of region, is eggs. A popular Colombian variation is huevos pericos (eggs scrambled with tomato and onion). On the coast this is accompanied with patacones (mashed, fried plantain) and in the mountains, arepa (a thick corn tortilla), although some people prefer almojábanas, pan de bono (see Quick Eats) or buñuelos (deep-fried curd-cheese-and-flour balls) instead. This is washed down with a small cup of tinto (black coffee) or hot chocolate made with milk. A less popular breakfast alternative is caldo de costilla (beef-rib broth).
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For a sobering look at the food production industry in Colombia and its effect on the country, check out Bananas and Business: The United Fruit Company in Colombia, 1899-2000 (2005) by Marcelo Bucheli.
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The midday meal is almuerzo, and the typical plate, eaten everywhere, is comida corriente (literally, ‘fast food’), often ironically called the almuerzo ejecutivo (executive lunch). It is a two-course meal which consists of soup followed by the seco (literally, the ‘dry,’ nonsoup portion of the meal) – rice, beans, choice of meat, a token salad, and a glass juice. On the coasts you’re likely to see patacones instead of rice, and fish instead of chicken or beef. The meal tends to be heavy on the carbohydrates and light on the protein and fat.
Colombians prefer to eat dinner – which consists of the same basic staples as lunch – at home. For this reason many restaurants are open for lunch and closed for dinner.
Colombia boasts many regional specialties above and beyond rice and beans. Sancocho is a thick stew of meat, vegetables, yucca and corn; Colombians will argue passionately over which region makes the best sancocho. Sancocho de gallina del campo (farm-style chicken stew) is not to be missed. Bandeja paisa (the ‘paísa platter’) is a gut-busting mound of sausage, beans, rice, egg and arepa. Originally from Antioquia, the dish can be found across the country, and, indeed, the world – some New Yorkers swear by it as a hangover cure.
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The website www.onlinereceptenboek.nl has recipes for some of Colombia’s most famous dishes.