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Colombian Recipes

20 recipes

Colombian food changes with altitude. In the cool Andean highlands people cook potato soups and slow stews, on the Caribbean coast coconut rice, fried fish and green plantain take over, and the Pacific coast leans on shellfish and tropical fruit. Corn, as arepas and tamales, runs through every region, alongside cassava, plantain, rice and beans. Indigenous, Spanish and African cooking traditions all left a mark. Most cooks begin a dish with hogao, a slow-cooked sauce of tomato and scallion, and a bowl of fresh ají (a chili and herb salsa) usually sits on the table. Lunch is the main meal, often a set plate of soup, meat, rice and fruit juice, while breakfast can be eggs, an arepa with cheese and hot chocolate. Panela, unrefined cane sugar, sweetens drinks and desserts. Weekends call for sancocho, a big soup shared with the family, and Christmas means natilla and buñuelos on every table.

Staple ingredients

Breakfast

Soups

Main Dishes

Side Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Snacks

Drinks

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

Common questions

What is Colombian food known for?

Arepas, hearty soups such as ajiaco and sancocho, fried plantain and generous platters like bandeja paisa. Cooking differs by region, from potato dishes in the mountains to coconut rice and fish on the Caribbean coast.

What is the national dish of Colombia?

There is no official one. Bandeja paisa, ajiaco and sancocho are the dishes most often named, and each belongs to a different region. Arepas are the food that appears in every part of the country.

Is Colombian food spicy?

Rarely. Most dishes are seasoned with cumin, garlic, scallion and cilantro. Heat comes from a fresh ají sauce that each person adds at the table, so the food itself stays mild.