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Fruits
Many varieties of fruit virtually unknown outside the tropics are enjoyed in Colombia, such as the zapote, lulo, curuba (banana passion fruit), mamoncillo, uchuva (gooseberry), feijoa, sweet granadilla, mamey, guama, tree tomato, borojó, arasá (in the amazon region), pomarrosa, anón, chirimoya, guanábana, maracuyá (passion fruit), chontaduro, mora (plant) (similar to blackberries), cocota, carambolo, corozo, guayabamanzana (hybrid between guava and apple), sweet small bananas (called murrapos, about 8 cm), níspero and pitahaya. Banana leaves are very common in Colombian cuisine with foods such as quesillos (cheese wrapped in banana leaves) and tamales. A rare fruit called asbonaci is also consumed.
Traditional dish- Ajiaco
In Bogotá and the Andean region, ajiaco is the traditional dish. It is a type of soup made of chicken, potatoes, and flavoured with guasca, a local herb. Traditionally, cream and capers are added at the table before eating. Both soups are served with white rice, salads with a hint of lemon, avocado, or sweet or salty tostadas. For breakfast, people in Bogotá often eat changua, a milk, scallion and egg soup.
Various dishes in the region
Along the Caribbean Region of Colombia, fish and lobster are used in mild spicy food. Coconut rice is a common dish along the coastal cities. Suero, which is a cross between yogurt and sour cream, is widely consumed, and was introduced by Arab immigrants in Baranquilla and other coastal cities. Another celebrated coastal dish is the arepa and its many forms including arepa limpia, arepae'huevo and arepae' queso.
In the Llanos (eastern plains), with its cowboy-like culture, barbecued meat (commonly cooked on a vertical spit leaned over an open fire), such as the ternera llanera (llanos-style veal) is common. Freshwater fish found in rivers such as the "amarillo" are also eaten. In the Amazonas (rainforest), Brazilian and Peruvian influence can be seen in the local cuisine. The dishes show the blending of Amerindian and European cuisines, and utilize locally found resources such as beef and other livestock and river fish.
In the Tolima region, the Tamales Tolimenses are a delicacy. These tamales are made of corn dough filled with a mixture of peas, carrots, potatoes, rice, chicken, pork and various spices. They are wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled for three to four hours. Lechona, another Tolima food, is now eaten throughout the country.
Fritanga is not a single dish, but could be likened to barbecue. Eating fritanga usually includes grilled beef and chicken, ribs, and especially sausages like morcilla, chorizo, longaniza and chunchullo (fried cow intestines) accompanied by mini potatoes and sweet corn (choclo) arepas.
Well-known Colombian dishes
The bandeja paisa ("Paisa platter") is a national favorite. It consists of white rice, red beans, ground beef, plantain, dirty rice chorizo (or morcilla), chicharron, arepa, avocado and a fried egg. Along with Ajiaco, the bandeja paisa is considered to be one of the national dishes.
Sancocho is a popular soup originating from the Cauca Valley region. It combines vegetables and poultry or fish with recipes differing from one region to the other, but usually contains yuca, maize, and is frequently eaten with banana slices.
Cuchuco is a thick soup made of wheat, habas, potatoes, ribs, peas, from Boyacá.
Side dishes
Arroz con coco (coconut rice, usually accompanying seafood dishes) - a typical side dish of the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela and is also popular in Puerto Rico. It is made from white rice cooked in a base of coconut milk (from green coconuts) and water, salt, sugar. Some variant recipes have the coconut meat cooked brown with olive oil before adding the coconut milk and water.
Aborrajado (deep fried plantains stuffed with cheese)
Hormigas culona or santandereana (big fried ants available only in the region known as Santander}
Hogao (sauce made with onions and tomatoes partially fried. Used for meats, arepas, rice and other dishes)
Recipe- Arroz con coco
This rice is generally served on a side plate with a half of avocado. They serve it with grilled meats of all varieties. The recipe is:
1 small jar of concentrado de coco (4.3 oz or 125 gr) or 1 cup of fresh coconut milk
5 cups water
2 cups rice
2 t salt
2-3 T sugar
raisins to taste
Put it all in a pot together and cook it up as you normally would. These, by the way, might be high-altitude directions. Four cups of water might be what you want.
Desserts
Arroz con coco: Coconut rice pudding, it can be served as a side dish or a dessert. It is made with lemon zest and cinnamon.
Manjar Blanco: Similar to dulce de leche (of Argentina) or manjar (of Chile), manjar blanco is a creamy dessert. The cooking process is more difficult than regular manjar, as you do not want to burn it, so it must be stirred and watched carefully as it cooks in a double boiler. Generally the milk and sugar mixture is also given a little extra flavour with either vanilla bean, cinnamon, or citrus juices.
Mazamorra De Maiz: This is a typical dessert in various countries of Latin America. The Colombian version is basically very well cooked white corn (for several hours) in water. It then will be sweetened with sugar cane or sugar and milk will be added.
Natilla: Custard-like pudding of sweet maizena (corn starch) instead of eggs.
Postre De Natas: Milk and condensed milk cooked with sugar, cinnamon and raisins.
