Colombian Comida

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Brace yourself, ladies and gents, because this is the post you’ve been waiting for—where I delve into the wonders and intricacies of Colombian grub. But before another person asks me how the enchiladas are down here, let me get one thing straight—there is a HUGE difference between Mexican food and Colombian food. In fact, most Central and South American food couldn’t be more different than Mexican food.

Now that we’ve cleared up that little misconception, let’s continue with your crash course in Colombian cuisine. Although the following is not a complete compendium of Colombian cuisine, I’ve tried to include the most commonly consumed comestibles.

Also, I apologize for all the alliteration.

It’s just one of those days.

Ready? Here we go…

Arepas

If you spend time in Colombia, chances are you will sooner or later cross paths with an arepa. Arepas are flat, round patties made of cornmeal that can be grilled, baked or fried. Although arepas vary from region to region, in Bogotá they are usually baked or grilled with melted cheese inside. Breakfast arepas are typically stuffed with scrambled or sunny-side-up eggs and lunch and dinner arepas have chicken or beef stuffed inside. Think of an arepa as a cross between an English muffin and a pancake that you can stuff with whatever your heart desires.

Plátanos

Known as plantains in English, these wanna-be bananas are often sliced and pan fried in oil until golden-brown and served as a side-dish. Although they look like bananas, don’t be fooled—eaten raw, these babies are bitter and generally mistreat the taste buds. Plátanos are best served either baked or fried as part of a main dish. But, if bitter is your thing, have at it raw.

Empanadas

This dish should sound familiar—it is commonly sold in the United States. Empanadas are stuffed bread or pastries that are baked or fried. The name actually comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. The dish originated in Spain and was brought to the Americas by conquistadors, which is why today it can be found in nearly every Latin American country. Empanadas are made by folding a dough or bread patty around a particular type of stuffing, which usually consists of some kind of meat, vegetables or even fruits. Picture a pizza pocket minus the pizza. When you are enguayabado, these babies will save your life. Trust me on this.



Read the rest at my TravelBlog

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Comments

[liliram]

Nice piece.......
Hope u don't mind that i used your photo in the "Foods of the World" thread. Wish you had photos of the empanadas too ;-) Thanks for sharing!