● This post is included in the series about Colombia, included in the #TeamChallenge proposed by @ermest. This series is oriented to introduce our country, its culture and traditions.
● You can find all the posts of this series searching by the hashtags #TeamChallenge and #TeamColombia.
Colombian cuisine represents a journey through taste, where rich and complex traditions of popular cuisine from every corner of the country take place.
Here, merged all kind of expressions that have been woven over time. As are our Indigenous, European and African heritage. As well as the ecological diversity, and the rich and varied environmental offer, typical of each town and region.
On this trip, we take as reference five large macro regions of our country. Amazon, Andes, Caribbean, Orinoquía and Pacific.
Amazon:
It is formed by the departments of Amazonas, Putumayo, Caquetá, Vaupés, Guaviare and part of Vichada and Meta. Their dishes vary by region and contrast between populated centers and rural areas.
● Dishes: Fish broth, roast beef, cooked fish.
● Drinks: Juices according to seasonal fruits.
● Sweets: Amazon fruit jam, sweet chontaduro, sweet green mango and carambolo sweet.
Andes:
The Andean region is made up of the departments of Nariño, Cauca and Valle, as well as the departments of Huila, Tolima, Risaralda, Quindío, Caldas, Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Santander, Norte de Santander and the Capital District of Bogotá.
Generally, lunches are not conceivable without beef, pork or chicken, accompanied by rice. Paisa food privileges beans with “chicharron” (fried pork rinds), the Cauca Valley, the sweet plantains; In Nariño, “cuys” (guinea pigs) are eaten in special events, in Santanderes el “chivo” (goat), in Tolima and Huila la Lechona (dish composed of pork, fried peas and rice), while in Boyacá and Cundinamarca you eat “Potato with everything”…
● Dishes: Tamales, ajiaco, bandeja paisa, sobrebarriga, lechona, mondongo, arepa, calentao, … among others.
● Drinks: Champus, mazamorra, cholao.
● Sweets: Manjar blanco, natilla, bocadillo veleño, merengón, miguelucho, postre de natas (cream dessert), brevas con arequipe (figs with a caramel sweet), pionono, etc.
Caribbean:
It includes the departments of La Guajira, Magdalena, Cesar, Atlántico, Bolívar, Sucre, Córdoba and the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina.
Many of the dishes in this region are based on fish, whether from the sea or from the river. And they are prepared in various ways: fried, roasted, stewed, in sancocho (soups) and with rice, among others.
● Dishes: Sancocho (fish soup), mote de queso, chuzo desgranado (typical fast food from the city of Barranquilla), fried mojarra, butifarra (spicy sausage), carimañola, bollo limpio, patacón (fried green plantains), cooked yucca, arepa de huevo, among others.
● Drinks: Agua de panela con limón, boli, corozo juice and tropical fruit smoothies.
● Sweets: Coconut, papaya, tamarind, pineapple, yam, yucca, etc. They are very popular during Holy Week.
Orinoquía:
It includes the departments of Arauca, Casanare, Meta and Vichada. In this region are so many activities related to the agriculture field, so The Llaneros feed primarily on meat, fish and cassava. Where they get the flour for casabe, their main food.
● Dishes: Llanero rice, grilled chigüiro, roasted cachama (fish), roasted meat on the llanero style and hayacas.
● Drinks: Rice chicha, pineapple guarapo, rice masato, carabolo juice and guarapo.
● Sweets: Majule, sweet plantains with molasses and dulce de pata.
Pacific:
Its coasts favor the amount of options of dishes with fish and seafood. They are commonly accompanied with plantain and yucca. In addition, the use of coconut milk stands out! This ingredient in itself can turn a modest dish of rice into a real delicacy.
● Dishes: Seafood casserole, bocachico, crab soup, tuna steak.
● Drinks: They have exotic fruits, such as borojó or lulo, of magnificent flavor, with which nice drinks are prepared.
● Sweets: Rice pudding with coconut milk, cocadas, papaya biche, etc.
We wait for you in Colombia, bon appetit!
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