Colombia

Country - Colombia

Cuisine Description - Colombian is blessed with a rich natural space, a variety of the fauna and flora and a high agricultural potential. The most significant agricultural possessions are the coffee plantations (Colombia is the second exporter in the world, but Colombian coffee is recognized as the best one), banana trees, cocoa, beans and sugar cane. Cows and other horned cattle are breaded. All these aspects explain the trends of Colombian traditional cuisine.
Colombia is beneficially situated between a sea (Carebean Sea) and an ocean (Pacific Ocean) and has various exotic plants; this fact is felt in the local cuisine, which includes seafood and wild plants meals: lulo, Curuba, Mamoncillo, uchuva, feijoa, sweet granadilla, mamey, guama, tree tomato and pitahaya, yucca, plantains, anise and even cactus. The main influences found in the Colombian cuisine are those of the Mexico and Argentina, but also Brasilia and Peru: bean and corn meals and Mercado beverages, but Colombian culinary spectrum also contains Italian and other European influences. Some of the most common aliments found in the Colombian diet are: corn, beans, tomatoes, Beef meat, plantains and coffee and cocoa drinks. The Colombian bean meals are best represented by the Antioquian beans, which are made with kidney beans, chopped Bacon, green plantains, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Beef is the main ingredient in the Colombian traditional meat recipes and it is prepared in a variety of ways: fried, grilled, roasted, barbecued, and stewed and as a filling for various Colombian dishes.
With coffee being one of the country’s most important products, Colombia quickly developed a tradition and coffee became almost a national symbol (not as shiny as Brazil’s tradition in coffee though). Colombian coffee is highly regarded and became a must-have on Colombian food menus.

Combining the Spanish cuisine with that of the Africans and the Native Americans, the Colombian cuisine is known for its exoticness and spicy taste. Some of the most famous recipes of Colombian dishes are: Arepas (white corn with a touch of butter and salt), Empanadas Paisas (meat-filled turnovers with cumin seed and brown sugar), the spicy Aji (a side-dish composed out of green onions, cilantro, red hot chilly peppers and vinegar) and the Hojuelas (an extremely sweet desert made out of fried puff squares with Sugar and orange juice).
Some Spanish recipes were “borrowed” by the Colombians and added to their cuisine, having most of these dishes spiced up. Although originally of Spanish foundation, these dishes are considered as being part of the Colombian cuisine.
With all the torment that has torn Colombia in the last centuries, culture rarely had the chance to raise its head from the crowd. This however, didn’t stop the Colombian people to gain cultural and social independence and form their own traditions, lifestyles and culture.

The Colombian cuisine is very much representative for the Native American cuisines, especially because there are many elements that belonged to the pre-Colombian civilizations and cultures, which established the agricultural features and lifestyle of the Colombian culture of today. Native American cuisines include a variety of meals, coming from all kinds of sources: corn breads and corn pastries, fried breads (frequent in the Native American reservations), lima beans with tomatoes and corn, Beef meat, milky desserts, bird stews and rice meals as garnish.
The regional cuisines of Colombia are represented by important cities and the areas surrounding them. Around Bogotá, there is the Andean region, where the traditional dish is the ajiaco, which contains yucca, guasca and potatoes. The soups are flavored with plantain chips, lemon and avocado. Soup is also traditional in Cali, where the Chicken soup sanchocho de gallina is prepared on special occasions. On the Caribbean coast, there is the spicy cooking style, represented by spicy lobster with coconut rice. In the Llanos area, the meats are barbequed, like the terra llanera or the Amarillo. In the Amazons, the Brazilian and the Peruvian cuisines are very much felt in the local dishes. Copyright Recipes Wiki