Colombian cuisine
Discover the distinctive flavours of this South American country and recreate them yourself in a popular homemade soup called ajiaco
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Colombian cuisine includes the traditions and ingredients of various distinct regions – the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, the mountainous interior and the ranchlands reaching east towards the Venezuelan border. Dishes are influenced by the indigenous people along with those of Spanish and African heritage.
In coastal areas you will find a good variety of fish, lobster and seafood often prepared with sauces using coconut milk. The variety of fruit is overwhelming, including many not well known outside the country such as lulo (which looks like a green tomato inside), zapota (or sapodilla, a fruit with a pear-like texture), guayaba agria (sour guava) and mora (a type of blackberry). Colombians consume lots of fruit juices and, of course, coffee which is grown in abundance. Arguably, the national dish of Colombia is bandeja paisa, a huge platter that features grilled steak, fried pork rind and chorizo served on a bed of rice and red beans, topped with a fried egg and served with avocado and plantain chips on the side.
In rural parts, lunch is the main meal of the day (dinner is more of a snack) and it might include ajiaco (see p142), a hearty, warming soup made with chicken, potato and guascas – a herb from the daisy family that grows throughout the Andean region and gives the soup its distinctive flavour. It’s especially popular in and around the capital city, Bogota. Arepas, flatbreads made from cornmeal, are the starchy side to this, or indeed any Colombian meal. They’re available from street stalls across the country. In the Boyacá region, you’ll often find local cheese in the middle.
Jose Rubio-guevara is chef at Paladar, a South American restaurant in south London where Latin American wines are key to the dining experience. Here, he shares his recipe for ajiaco. paladarlondon.com