Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
avocado and fried pork - usually found at
inexpensive market stalls ( fondas ).
In rural areas, vegetarians will be
hard-pressed for options, but in medium
and large cities you can find a decent
spread of vegetarian dishes.
Other Colombian favourites include
ajiaco (a thick chicken stew replete with
vegetables, maize, three types of potato,
cream, capers and sometimes avocado),
and mazamorra (a similar meat and
vegetable soup but with beans and corn
flour). Both are often served with
patacón, a mashed and heavily salted cake
of fried plantain.
More unusual regional specialities
include hormigas culonas - fried giant
ants, found in the Santander area. In Cali
and southern Colombia, grilled guinea
pig, known as cuy or curí , sometimes
crops up on the menu. The coast is
renowned for its fish and shellfish, served
with aromatic arroz con coco , slightly
sweet rice with caramelized coconut,
while the Amazon is known for its
unusual and delicious fish. The islands of
San Andrés and Providencia specialize in
locally caught crab dishes and lobster.
If there's one thing you'll pine for when
you've returned home it's Colombia's
exotic variety of fresh fruit juices . Some
are completely foreign to Western palates
and lack English translations. Worth
trying are guanábana , lulo , mango, feijoa ,
maracuyá , mora and guayaba .
Beer is reasonably good and inexpensive
(try light, fizzy lagers like Dorado, Club
and Aguila). Far more popular among
locals is the anise-flavoured aguardiente ,
pure grain alcohol, and rum ( ron ), both of
which are drunk neat. Brave souls won't
want to pass up any offer to try chicha , a
frothy drink, often prepared with maize or
yucca, found in rural areas and made with
the fermenting enzyme found in saliva:
pieces of the peeled root are chewed, spat
into a bowl and the juice is left to ferment.
5
CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE
In Colombia you will notice a great
disparity between the wealthiest members
of society - who live a lifestyle akin to
that of their counterparts in Europe's
capitals - and the rest of the population:
the poor city residents who live in
dangerous neighbourhoods, and below
them on the poverty scale the rural poor,
particularly those who live in isolated
areas where armed conflict still goes on.
When interacting with Colombians,
Westerners will note that sincerity in
expression, often expressed via good eye
contact, is valued more highly than the
typical steady stream of pleases and
thank-yous.
DRINKING
Though Colombia used to export its best
coffee , demand from travellers has led to
a proliferation of Juan Valdéz café
branches; good coffee is now available in
other establishments as well, though the
majority of Colombians still drink
heavily sugared, watered-down black
coffee ( tinto ).
TROPICAL FRUIT TREAT
Dotting the country's streets are vendors who will happily blend drinks for you from the juicy
bounty in their baskets, either with milk ( con leche ), or the standard ice and sugar ( con agua ).
Corozo A round, maroon-skinned fruit, not
unlike a cranberry in tartness.
Guanabaná Pulpy, yellow fruit that
tastes like a mild guava, with a touch
of grapefruit.
Lulo Resembling a vivid yellow persimmon,
this tangy fruit is perfectly balanced
sweetness and tartness.
Mora Close cousin of the blackberry.
Níspero This combination of pear and
papaya is rich and musky, and goes really
well with milk.
Tomate de árbol Literally, “tree tomato”,
this orange-red fruit blurs the line between
fruit and vegetable, being sharp and only
faintly sweet.
Zapote This luscious orange fruit's uncanny
resemblance to sherbet is confirmed by the
tendency of some locals to freeze its pulp to
eat as dessert.
 
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