Introduction: My Colombia in Flavors
I still remember the sound of ground corn in my grandmother’s kitchen, the aroma of melting butter on a freshly made arepa, and Sunday mornings with sancocho bubbling in the pot. As a paisa born and raised in Medellín, food is not just sustenance; it is the thread that connects my most cherished memories.
Colombia is a country where every region tells its story through its dishes. However, our cuisine remains one of Latin America’s best-kept secrets, unjustly overshadowed by its Mexican and Peruvian neighbors on the global stage. But those who know it understand that our gastronomy reflects our geographical and cultural diversity, a mix as rich and complex as it deserves its own place in the international culinary scene.
In this article, I invite you on a gastronomic journey through my Colombia. I will share with you not only my personal experiences in paisa kitchens but also the opinions of other lovers of our food, gathered from online communities like Reddit, to offer you a complete view of what makes Colombian cuisine truly special.
Colombian Culinary Identity: A Mosaic of Flavors
Geography as a Flavor Determinant
Colombia is a land of extreme geographic contrasts. Growing up in Medellín, I was always amazed at how the food changed after traveling just a few hours. We could have chocolate santafereño and almojábanas for breakfast in cool Bogotá, trout in garlic sauce for lunch in the temperate lakes of Guatapé, and coconut rice with fried fish under the Caribbean stars in Cartagena—all in the same day.
Our geography has divided the country into five major culinary regions:
- Andean Region: Where hearty soups like ajiaco and filling dishes like bandeja paisa reign.
- Caribbean Coast: The paradise of seafood, coconut, and fried foods like carimañola.
- Pacific Coast: The land of encocados, pusandaos, and the strongest Afro-descendant influence.
- Eastern Plains: Where llanera beef and river fish are the stars.
- The Amazon: The least known culinary region, but with treasures like casabe and mañoco.
Let’s watch Wyatt and Reyka Youtube video for more insights about Colombian Food:
The Mestizaje in Our Cuisine
As one Reddit user put it: “Colombian cuisine is like its people: a perfect mix of indigenous, European, and African.” This diversity is reflected in every dish we prepare:
- From the indigenous people, we inherited corn (the base of our arepas), yuca, chili, and the many varieties of potatoes that enrich ajiaco.
- From the Spanish, we incorporated pork, beans, and cooking techniques like stewing.
- From Africans, we adopted frying methods and the creative use of plantains and coconut.
- There’s even Arab influence in preparations like almojábanas and rellenas.
This fusion was neither imposed nor planned; it naturally arose in our grandmothers’ kitchens, who adapted foreign ingredients to our local flavors, creating a unique culinary identity that continues to evolve.
The Paisa Region: The Heart of Antioqueño Cuisine
Bandeja Paisa: Our Cultural Declaration on a Plate.
If I had to choose an ambassador for paisa cuisine, it would undoubtedly be bandeja paisa. This dish, born in the Antioqueño mountains to feed field workers, is much more than a meal; it’s a cultural manifesto that speaks of abundance, generosity, and hospitality.
The authentic bandeja paisa includes:
- Cargamanto beans cooked with bacon and herbs
- Ground beef stew or grilled steak
- Crispy chicharrón
- White rice
- Fried egg with a semi-runny yolk
- Fried ripe plantain
- Avocado
- White corn arepa
- Hogao (tomato and onion sauce)
Each element plays a role in this gastronomic ecosystem. The beans provide vegetable protein, the meat and chicharrón satisfy the worker’s appetite, the plantain adds sweetness, and the arepa serves as the bread that ties everything together.
An American Redditor commented: “Bandeja paisa put me in a food coma for hours, but it was the best gastronomic experience of my life in Colombia. I understood why paisas have so much energy!” And it’s true, although foreigners are often surprised by the quantity, for us, it’s normal. In my family, we used to eat bandeja paisa on Sundays after mass, and although today many opt for lighter versions, it remains our emblematic dish.
My favorite place to eat it in Medellín is El Rancherito in Envigado, where they maintain the traditional recipe without modern pretensions.
The Ritual of Paisa Arepas
I remember waking up to the sound of my mother kneading arepas every morning. The process was almost ceremonial: grinding the corn (today we use PAN flour to save time), mixing with water and salt, kneading until obtaining the perfect consistency, forming discs with our hands, and finally grilling them on the budare until they puffed up slightly and browned on the outside.
The paisa arepa is different from other Colombian varieties: it’s white, thin, and without filling. Some foreigners find it bland, as noted in this Reddit comment: “Paisa arepas seemed boring to me until I understood they are a canvas for other flavors.” And they’re right: the paisa arepa isn’t designed to shine alone but to accompany, to cleanse the palate between bites of beans or scrambled eggs, to be spread with butter or cheese.
Regional Treasures: A Tour Through Colombia
The Caribbean Coast: Sea Flavors
The first time I visited Cartagena as a teenager, coconut rice was a revelation. In Medellín, rice goes with beans; on the coast, it goes with coconut and takes on a caramel color that announces its subtle sweetness. This rice, accompanied by fried fish with patacones and tomato and onion salad, is perhaps the most representative combination of the Colombian coast.
Mote de queso is another Caribbean jewel. This yam soup with melted costeño cheese and whey has a uniquely creamy texture that contrasts with the acidity of the whey. A Redditor commented: “I had never tasted anything like mote de queso; it’s like a hug in soup form.”
Carimañolas—yuca stuffed with ground beef and fried—and beef empanadas are essential parts of the coastal breakfast, always accompanied by suero atollabuey and black coffee.
The Andean Region: The Heart of the Country
Ajiaco santafereño is to Bogotá what bandeja paisa is to Medellín: a symbol of identity. This creamy soup contains three types of potatoes (pastusa, sabanera, and criolla), shredded chicken, corn, and guascas—a herb that gives it its characteristic flavor. It is served with cream, capers, and avocado.
A Reddit comment perfectly describes the experience: “Ajiaco is probably one of the best soup dishes I’ve ever tried, and I’m not even a fan of soups. The combination of textures and the flavor of guascas is unique.”
Tamales vary by region. The Tolimense version includes rice and pork; the Santandereano uses yellow corn masa and beef; the Bogotano includes chickpeas and eggs. All are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed.
The Pacific: Afro-descendant Cuisine
The most overlooked gastronomic region, yet incomparably rich. The explosion of flavors in a Pacific encocado—fish or seafood cooked in coconut milk with herbs—is an intense sensory experience. Pusandao, a stew of fish, plantain, and potato with a refrito of onion and tomato, is another lesser-known delicacy.
A Colombian chef on Reddit commented: “The cuisine of the Pacific is our greatest untapped treasure. It has the complexity of Peruvian cuisine and the depth of African cuisine, yet remains authentically Colombian.”
The Amazon and Orinoquía: The Unexplored
In the Eastern Plains, mamona or llanera veal is the star. It is prepared over coals, stretched on wooden stakes that keep it extended over the fire, sprinkled with water and salt during cooking. The result is tender meat inside and crispy on the outside.
In the Amazon, casabe (flat yuca bread) and mañoco (toasted yuca flour) are staples in the indigenous diet, accompanied by river fish like pirarucú.
Comparative Chart: The Great Gastronomic Rivalries
The Battle of the Arepas
| Type | Region | Characteristics | Typical Filling | My Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paisa | Antioquia | White, thin, simple | No filling, for accompaniment | The classic |
| Costeña | Caribbean Coast | Yellow, thicker | With egg (stuffed with fried egg) | A burst of flavor |
| Santandereana | Santander | Yellow, with incorporated chicharrón | No filling, but already flavorful | The tastiest to eat alone |
| Venezuelan | Venezuela | White, thicker | Stuffed with cheese, meat, chicken | The most versatile |
“Although I am paisa at heart, I must admit that the coastal egg arepa holds a special place in my heart. That moment when you bite into it and the melted egg mixes with the crunchy dough is incomparable.”
The Street: The True Laboratory of Colombian Flavors
Empanadas: The National Snack
On every corner in Colombia, there’s an empanada stand, but each region has its version. The paisa version is made from ground corn, stuffed with potato and stewed ground beef; the valluna is crispier; the Bogotana is usually made from wheat flour.
The ritual of the ají is sacred: each vendor has their secret recipe, some spicier, others more acidic with lime, all essential for the complete experience.
My favorite empanada spot in Medellín is on the corner of Parque de Belén, where Doña Gloria has been making them for 30 years with the same recipe. A foreign Redditor commented: “The lady selling empanadas recognized I was a foreigner and gave me an extra one ‘so you can get to know Colombia well.’ That detail sums up the country.”
Buñuelos and Pandebonos: The Perfect Breakfast
The buñuelo—a ball of cheese and cornmeal dough fried until golden outside and fluffy inside—is an essential part of the Colombian breakfast along with a tinto (black coffee). The pandebono, more common in the Valle del Cauca, is a baked cheese and cornmeal bread.
Tropical Fruits and Natural Juices
Visiting a Colombian market is a sensory explosion. Fruits like soursop, lulo, granadilla, passion fruit, and sapote are part of our daily lives but exotic to the rest of the world.
Natural juices are our national non-alcoholic drink. A Reddit comment sums up this passion well: “Colombians have an obsession with natural juices that I haven’t seen in any other country. Even small roadside restaurants have 15 different options.”
The Sweet Side: Desserts That Tell Stories
Traditional Desserts by Region
Brevas con arequipe—figs cooked in syrup and stuffed with dulce de leche—are a traditional dessert from the interior. Postre de natas, made from the “natillas” or layers that form when boiling milk, is typical of Bogotá and its surroundings.
On the coast, cocadas reign supreme: coconut candies with panela sold on the beaches. A Redditor wrote: “I bought a cocada on Cartagena beach that changed my life; it was like biting into the Caribbean itself.”
Special Occasion Desserts
The smell of cinnamon and melted panela in December immediately transports me to my grandmother’s kitchen. Natilla—similar to flan but firmer—and buñuelos are essential for Colombian Christmas. Making natilla was a family ritual: everyone helped stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
A Reddit user commented: “My Colombian girlfriend insisted on making natilla and buñuelos for Christmas even though we live in Australia and it was 40 degrees Celsius. After tasting them, I understood why it was so important to her.”
The Colombian Table: Beyond Food
Rituals and Traditions
Sunday family lunch is sacred in Colombia. In my family, after mass, we would gather at my grandmother’s house where there was always sancocho.
P.D: Before you jump in a airplane make sure all your documents meets the Medellin Airport Customs 2025.
