Ceviche being made on the street - Ricardo Vera
Eating in Colombia runs the gamut from cafeteria (café-style restaurants) to fine dining, to street vending, providing a wide range of delights to please most palates.
The cafeterias are usually your best bet for the budget, and for culinary culture (not to mention sanitation), but it is worth it to try a hot arepa from a street-side grill, to cool down on a hot day with one of the multitude of fruit jugos, and to start the day off with a simple breakfast at a panaderia (bakery/pastry shop.
Below is a small dictionary of common foods one is likely to encounter (and want to savour) to experience Colombian cuisine in its authenticity.
Thirst-Quenching Bebidas (Drinks)
- Aguapanela : drink made with panela, hardened syrup of sugar cane. Agua de panela means literally 'panela water'. It is served hot or cold, sometimes with fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice.
- Aguardiente: the word translates to mean 'burning water' and refers to a variety of hard alcohols within Latin America. In Colombia it is an anise-flavoured liquor made from sugar cane. It is usually served straight, or with lime slices, a la tequila.
- Aromatica: is a wide banner referring to an herbal tea. Aromaticas can also be made fresh with herbs, squeezed lemon or lime juice, honey and hot water.
- Chocolate: hot chocolate made from bar chocolate and sugar; sometimes served with cheese. Often served with a small bun with breakfast at a panaderia.
- Coffee: In cafeterias, you will mostly find brewed coffee served con leche (with milk) or tinto (black); often pre-sweetened. Although Colombia does produce some of the finest, mildest coffee in the world, 'coffee culture' is a relatively new phenomenon in the country. Espresso drinks can be found in more 'American' styled cafes, such as Oma and Juan Valdez, which also sell fresh ground beans.
Delicious Entradas (appetizers/snacks)
- Ajiaco: potato soup (made with various kinds of local potatoes), served with chicken and corn, and dressed with fresh cream, avocado and capers. The distinctive ingredient is guasca, an aromatic herb that lends a woody flavour. With a bowl of rice on the side, the soup makes a hearty, delicious meal. Must be tried while one is visiting Colombia!
- Arepas: grilled corn flour fritters; served with butter, filled with cheese (con queso) or filled with egg (con huevo).
- Bocadillos: sweetened guava paste often made into squares wrapped in plantain leaf. Colombians love these little 'candies' served with queso campesino, a soft, salty mozzarella-like cheese.
- Ceviche: chopped seafood marinated in fresh lime juice and tomato salsa. Off the street, it is made with chopped onion, tomato sauce, and a choice of fresh-caught seafood, such as octopus, oysters or shrimps. Eaten out of a cup and served with salted crackers, it is an ideal beach side snack on a hot day.
- Patacones: mashed green plantain, made into chips and served fried.
- Tamales: steam-cooked corn dough filled with meat, chicken and vegetables and wrapped in plantain leaf. Traditionally served as breakfast.
Copyright Kelli Hanrahan. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
Kelli Hanrahan - Kelli brings to Suite 101 her experience as a writer and book reviewer for Edwards and Ascent magazines, as well as freelance editor for ...
