Traditional Colombian Food / Top 10 Dishes
1. Patacones
Crispy flat pancakes made out of mashed plantain. Served as a side dish or as a snack with spicy sauce. Available all over the country.

2. Trucha or Mojarra
Trout and Mojarra are the most popular fishes in Colombia. Eat it grilled or fried- it will always taste delicious. Served usually with rice and salad. The best ones we had were near Santa Rosa de Cabal in the Finca La Marcelandia, where you can fish your lunch by yourself.


3. Chorizo Santarosano
Chorizo in Colombia is delicious but tastes nothing like the one we know from Spain. It is surely not that spicy and does not contain hot red pepper but certainly tastes great and is worth trying. The town of Santa Rosa de Cabal is famous for Chorizos and even holds the world record for the longest with 1,917.8 m (6,291 ft 11 in).

4. Sancocho
Sancocho is a soup cooked with chicken meat and many vegetables such as manioc, corn, potatoes, and plantain. Served with rice on the side, a salad, and a big piece of delicious Colombian avocado. The best one we had was served in Finca Guadalupana.

5. Ajiaco soup
Another Colombian soup. It’s a chicken broth cooked with 3 kinds of potatoes, corn, chicken meat, and cilantro. It is served, like Sancocho with rice and avocado on the side but also with cream and capers- delicious and very filling. We recommend the one served in Balsora Hotel Boutique.

6. Calentao
Is breakfast for you also the most important meal of the day? Well, in Colombia it is taken it very seriously to eat well in the morning. Calentao is a mix of beans and rice served for breakfast. It usually comes with scrambled eggs and arepas. In Quindio they even add a piece of chicken or pork to it. So, forget about your cereals.

7. Arepa de Chocolo
We have already mentioned arepa in our Venezuelan article. It is a corn pancake eaten instead of bread. Chocolo is a special kind of corn that makes all the difference. Those arepas are fluffy, sweet and DELICIOUS. Filled with local, melted cheese it makes the best snack. It is available in every second street to stand all over the country.

8. Chicharron
Now that’s a dish for real meat-eaters. It’s pork belly deep-fried with skin, fat and a little bit of meat. It is served usually with rice, potatoes and a bit of a salad.

9. Sopa de Frijoles
Beans fuel the entire population of Colombia. Be certain of that. Sopa de frijoles is a thick bean soup prepared with herbs and pork meat. It can be served on its own or with rice and a salad. The best one we had was definitely in Centro Campestre Mawa.

10. Bandeja Paisa
This is the national dish of Colombia. It’s a plate with rice, fried plantain, beans, meat, and avocado. This dish is usually served in huge portions.

11. Bunuelos
These sweet rolls filled with cheese can be found in almost every bakery in Colombia. Taste the best fresh and warm!

12. Jugos Naturales
They come with every meal in Colombia, thick and delicious. It is a fresh juice pulp mixed with water or milk. Try guanabana or tomate de arbol (tree tomato) if you have the chance!



13. Aguapanela con queso
Aguapanela is a piece of a sugarcane block solved in hot water and lime juice. It is served with traditional, Colombian cheese.


14. Tamales
It’s flavorful masa or rice, stuffed with different kinds of meats, vegetables, and spices. All wrapped in a banana leaf.

15. Hormigas
Roasted ants are very popular in the Santander region and eaten as a salty snack.

This was our article about Traditional Colombian Food / Top 10 Dishes. Read about the Dampfnudeln recipe HERE.
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