My first year in Colombia was full of new food, new music, new language, and new friends. Trips to the market and grocery stores were adventures that required advance preparation, such as looking up ingredients in a Spanish dictionary or calling friends to inquire about local terminology. I had studied German in high school, which [...]
Colombian Arepas with Cheese (Arepas con Queso) and Aji
October 14, 2010 By 7 Comments
Papas Criollas (Tiny Yellow Potatoes)
October 26, 2009 By 22 Comments
One of my fondest food memories is of the tiny round potatoes known as papas criollas from Colombia. The Colombian papas criollas grow wild in the Andes highlands and have a thin, tender skin and a buttery yellow interior that yields an amazing flavor. They are a favorite for soups such as Ajiaco or served [...]
Pan de Yuca (yuca bread)
August 12, 2007 By 21 Comments
Pan de yuca is a little crescent-shaped bread that I enjoyed while living in Colombia. The bread, which is also common in other Andean countries, has fresh cheese and yuca flour as the main ingredients. The flour comes from the root of the cassava plant and has a texture very much like cornstarch. It is [...]
Ajiaco Bogotano (Colombia)
December 27, 2006 By 62 Comments
For me this is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s also my favorite food from my years overseas. It’s a great weekend soup, but it’s also a celebration meal for the Bogotanos who often make very large pots of this soup for festive occasions such as Christmas. They typically serve the soup in black bowls [...]
Arequipe (Dulce de Leche from Colombia)
March 21, 2006 By 24 Comments
Also known as dulce de leche, this dessert is divine. It’s thick and creamy and has a wonderful caramel flavor. Vendors on the streets of Colombia sell it along with a type of wafer known as obleas, which basically looks like an unrolled waffle cone. You smear the arequipe on the obleas and eat open [...]
Papas Chorreadas (Colombia)
January 31, 2006 By 4 Comments
I remember my first taste of papas chorreadas in Bogotá. It was in the school cafeteria where the teachers and staff could get a lovely Colombian lunch—almuerzo executivo—for only a small amount of money. The food was always good and fresh, just as good as some of the local restaurants that I liked to frequent. [...]
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