Colombian Cuisine
Colombian cuisine is down-to-earth, hearty, and regionally extremely diverse. Each region has its own specialties, ingredients, and traditions. Forget everything you think you know about "Latin American food" — Colombia is a culinary continent of its own.
The Classics
★★★ Bandeja Paisa
The national dish of Colombia and a plate of superlatives. Served on a tray (Bandeja): red beans, white rice, Chicharrón (crispy pork belly), Chorizo, fried beef (carne molida), fried egg, Arepa, sweet plantain (plátano maduro), and avocado. Sounds like too much? It is. But that's the point: Bandeja Paisa was the dish of coffee workers who toiled all day in the fields.
Price: 12,000–25,000 COP (3–6€). Best enjoyed in the coffee zone or in Medellín.
★★★ Ajiaco
Bogotá's signature dish: a thick, creamy potato soup made from three different types of potatoes (Colombia has over 30 potato varieties!), chicken, corn on the cob, and the herb Guascas, which gives the soup its distinctive flavor. Served with avocado, cream, capers, and rice. The perfect comfort food for cool Bogotá evenings.
★★★ Arepas
The Arepa is the Colombian bread — a corn cake eaten with every meal. There are hundreds of varieties:
- Arepa de queso: Filled with cheese, the standard version. Enjoyed in the morning for breakfast.
- Arepa de huevo: Fried, with a whole egg inside! A specialty of the Caribbean coast. Brilliant as street food.
- Arepa de choclo: Made from sweet corn, with cheese. Sweet-salty perfection.
- Arepa boyacense: From Boyacá, sweet, with Panela (cane sugar) and Queso. Available everywhere on the road to Villa de Leyva.
★★ Empanadas
Colombian empanadas are smaller than the Argentine ones and always fried (not baked). The corn dough encloses a filling of potato and meat or potato and egg. Served with Ají (spicy salsa made from coriander, tomatoes, and chili). Available everywhere on the street: 1,000–3,000 COP (0.25–0.70€). The perfect snack food.
★★ Sancocho
The Colombian wonder soup: a thick stew made from chicken (or fish, beef, depending on the region), cassava, plantain, potato, corn, and coriander. Every region has its version: Sancocho de gallina (hen) is the classic, Sancocho de pescado on the coast. The ultimate hangover breakfast after a night of partying.
★★ Lechona
The Colombian answer to roast suckling pig: a whole pig stuffed with rice, peas, and spices, roasted in the oven for hours. The skin is crispy like chips, the meat juicy and flavorful. Mainly found in Tolima (around Ibagué and Neiva), but available at every festival and market throughout the country.
