Your best culinary memory in Colombia

Colombia is not known for gastronomical experiences.

But their famed dish, Bandeja Paisa, is delicious if found in the right place.  If not the right place, it can be horrible.

Another good one, if in the right place, is arepa de chocolo, warm with lots of butter.

Geno Perez Adventures recommends "pinchos" (shish kabobs), sold on the street for a buck or so.

Poster mtbe makes a valid point.

If you order costillas (ribs) at the right place, it is heaven.

Order at lugar equivocado and it is dry or too laden with bbq sauce.

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The aforementioned ¨famed dish¨ bandeja paisa

is nicknamed 'heart attack on a plate' by various

Gringos who have ordered it.

It's loaded with starches among other ingredients

such as pork and an egg.

Healthy eaters need to think twice before attempting

this dish.  At a restaurant near Salento, I ate about

15 percent of it .. y ya.

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@cccmedia

The last time I referred to a dish as a heart attack on plate was at a gringo night at least 5 years ago when I had chicken-fried steak. While "gringo nights" used to be a regular happening in Cuenca, I haven't seen the term used in a long time. I guess every night is a gringo night in Cuenca, if you go to the right place.

My best culinary memory in Colombia was when I ate a meal at the house of a family that had moved to the United States years ago. They had cooked a traditional Colombian lunch and it was delicious! The food was flavorful, healthy and fresh. The best part was that they were so happy that I liked it!

I enjoy  "trucha a la plancha" which is fresh trout grilled with mushrooms and garlic, cilantro very nice with coconut rice .

Also the forementioned bandeja paisa is excellent as well.

Hello everyone,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us.

After reading your posts, I think I should go get something to eat because all this delicious food has made me hungry.

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

My background, my first visit was a 4 month stay in Bogota in November 1990 and then returned in the mid 2000's and started exploring other Colombian cities then in 2010 after numerous visits to Medellin and all the surrounding areas/pueblos/towns/sites in Antioquia decided to purchase my finca/operating dairy farm/apartment/motorcycle/car/etc. in about 2015 then living in Medellin for about 5 years now almost full time..........I now travel in my car on long road trips everywhere in Colombia & Ecuador, always starting/ending at my home in Medellin........

....in fact I have been so may places that Colombia is now "small" to me yet I still explore her looking for hidden spots, really an incredible and diverse country.

...........I mention this as I have tried just about every local dish in Colombia including the famed dish bandeja paisa in Medellin which I have not had in years now and frankly do not miss it.

The very best description about Colombian food that I have heard it "they are lazy cooks", think about this as it is so true. So much could be done but they, Colombians, are simply lazy in the kitchen to venture out of their comfort zone of some beans, rice, meat and an egg on top.

@South American Voyager  Maybe it is their culture and they like the food the way they like it.  No reason to insult people for the way they enjoy life, just because it is not your own culture? Colombians are not forcing us to come to their county to look down on them. 

i love to eat soups in medellin everyday, so healthy, also fresh fruit from the street carts. wow.

I forgot to mention empenadas.  If you can find the right place...ohhhh so good, especially with the aji.

@Mickael

Hi!

my favorite Colombian dish is the "Bandeja Paisa" it is comfort food at its best! you can have it in any restaurant pretty much that is Paisa specially.

Culinary Enlightenment

I was cured of my bad attitude about foreign cuisine before the age of 40 in a cafe in Paris where I was complaining bitterly about the way my breakfast was prepared, ruining the experience for my daughter as well as for myself. This time she just leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial voice “Mommy they don’t eat it that way here!”  A lightbulb went on in my head. Oh! It’s not just perverseness, or stupidity. I was ashamed and never had a tantrum again over food. I traveled to 31countries, sampling the culinary delights without judgment. For the person who called Colombian cooks “lazy” why not consider other possibilities? Like maybe the food tastes good, is easy to prepare and triggers lovely memories of meals shared and the comfort of family? Even beans, well seasoned and cooked for hours in a clay olla, can be glorious!