Add Some Latin Flavor With Colombian Food Recipes

By Karina Frost


Whoever said that all the world's a stage never realized that, in fact, all the world's a giant dining table. Foodies love the variety of dishes from different parts of the globe and often learn how to make their favorites so that they can experience other countries from the comfort of their kitchens. If you want to take an interesting and exciting culinary trip, look for Colombian food recipes that will bring some Latin flavor to your life.

Colombia is a very diverse country. Its geography consists of regions that couldn't be more different from one another, such as the chilly Andean regions and the sweltering Caribbean coast. This diversity means that Colombian cooks have a huge array of ingredients to work with. Add to this the fact that the people themselves have diverse ethnic backgrounds too and you have the recipe for a richly varied cuisine.

Breakfast can be light and simple, consisting of not much more than fruit and 'arepa', which is a pancake-like, corn-based bread. However, it can also be heartier, with egg dishes such as 'huevos pericos'. Rice and beans feature on the breakfast table in some regions. You may even start your day with a soup made of beef and vegetables or the milky soup known as 'changua', which is normally served with a poached egg. Hot chocolate or a cup of the country's famous coffee rounds off the meal.

The main meal is normally served in the afternoon. Colombians love their meat and won't hesitate to eat different types of meat at the same time. An example is 'bandeja paisa', often called the country's national dish, which features beef as well as pork and even sausages. Chicken is popular too. Along the coast, fresh seafood features more strongly.

Popular vegetables include potatoes, carrots, peas and corn. These are often used in tamales, which in this part of the world are wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks. Plantains and yuca, also known as cassava, are ubiquitous in Colombian cuisine too and in the more tropical regions, you'll often find your meal cooked in coconut milk.

If you thought papaya was an exotic fruit, you should see the fruits available in Colombia. There are ones that don't even have English names and you'll be hard pressed to find them anywhere but in this South American country. More familiar fruits include bananas, citrus, mangoes, guavas and passion fruit.

If the many fruits on their own aren't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth at the end of a meal, you'll find plenty of ways to use them in more substantial desserts, such as meringue. They also form the base for a 'cholado', which is perfect for a hot summer's day. For something more sophisticated, try figs, which are cooked in a sweet syrup and used to top cheese. Colombia also has its own version of rice pudding and flan, which here includes coconut.

You'll find plenty of Colombian recipes online on food blogs focusing on the cuisine of that country. Otherwise, visit your local bookstore and find recipe books that specialize in Latin American food. Best of all though is to have your next holiday in Colombia and to enroll in cooking classes where you'll learn how to cook just like a Colombian.




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