The best of Colombian food, in my opinion

Food is one of the best ways to understand a country. When I lived in Egypt, I learned about family and hospitality around shared plates. In Malaysia, I discovered how several cultures can live together in a single street food market. In Uruguay, I learned the rituals of the asado and mate. And in Colombia, I found a cuisine that is generous, regional and deeply connected to the land and to family traditions.

Colombian food is not spicy in general, and it is not always famous abroad, but it is full of comfort, flavour and stories. Every region has its own specialities, shaped by its climate, its geography and its history: the mountains of the Andes, the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, the plains and the Amazon. This is my personal list of the best of Colombian gastronomy, the dishes and drinks I love after a year living in Manizales and travelling around the country. It is not a complete encyclopaedia, just the honest favourites of a curious traveller.

1. Ajiaco santafereño – Bogotá's comforting soup

Ajiaco is a thick chicken and potato soup from Bogotá, made with three types of potatoes, including the small yellow papa criolla that melts into the broth and makes it creamy. It is flavoured with guascas, a herb that gives it a unique taste, and served with corn on the cob, cream, capers and avocado on the side. On a cold, rainy afternoon in Bogotá, there is nothing better. Read my Bogotá guide.

2. Bandeja paisa – the generous plate of Antioquia

The bandeja paisa is famous for its size. A typical plate includes red beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón (crispy pork belly), chorizo, a fried egg, sweet plantain, arepa and avocado. It reflects the traditions of the farmers and mule drivers of Antioquia, who needed a lot of energy for long days of work in the mountains. It is not a dish for every day, but you must try it at least once, ideally after a long walk. Read my Medellín guide.

3. Sancocho – the soup of family gatherings

Sancocho is a hearty soup made with meat or fish, plantain, yuca, potato and corn, cooked slowly for hours. There are many versions: chicken sancocho (sancocho de gallina), beef, pork, or fish on the coast. In many families, Sunday sancocho is cooked outdoors, over wood fire, with everyone helping. For me, sancocho represents Colombian togetherness.

4. Arepas – the daily bread of Colombia

Arepas are round cakes of corn dough, grilled, baked or fried, and they appear at almost every meal. Each region has its own style:

• Arepa paisa: thin, white and simple, eaten with butter, cheese or as a side.
• Arepa de choclo: made with sweet fresh corn and served with fresh cheese. One of my favourites.
• Arepa boyacense: sweeter, often filled with cheese.
• Arepa de huevo: from the Caribbean coast, fried, with an egg inside. A delicious piece of engineering.

5. Tamales – a gift wrapped in leaves

Colombian tamales are made with corn dough, meat, chicken, vegetables and sometimes egg, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. The most famous is the tamal tolimense. In many homes, tamales are a weekend breakfast, served with hot chocolate and bread. Unwrapping a tamal always feels like opening a present.

6. Caribbean fish, coconut rice and patacones

On the Caribbean coast, the classic meal is a whole fried fish, often mojarra or red snapper, served with arroz con coco (rice cooked with coconut, slightly sweet and toasted), patacones (smashed and twice-fried green plantain) and a fresh salad, eaten facing the sea. It is simple and perfect. Read my Cartagena and Caribbean guide.

7. Empanadas – the favourite snack

Colombian empanadas are usually made with corn dough, filled with potato and meat, and fried until crispy. They are sold everywhere, from street stalls to bakeries, and always served with ají, a fresh sauce of herbs, onion, vinegar and a little chilli. They are perfect for a quick snack between classes.

8. Lechona – a festive celebration

Lechona, especially from Tolima, is a whole pig stuffed with rice, peas and spices, roasted for many hours. It is served at big celebrations, birthdays and holidays. It is a dish for sharing with many people, which says a lot about Colombian festive culture.

9. Mote de queso and the flavours of the coast

Mote de queso is a thick soup of yam (ñame) and hard coastal cheese, flavoured with onion, garlic and lemon. It comes from the Caribbean region and is surprisingly comforting. The coast also offers posta negra cartagenera, beef cooked slowly in a dark, sweet and savoury sauce, and many seafood dishes.

10. Breakfast in Colombia: calentado and changua

Calentado is yesterday's rice and beans, reheated and served with egg, arepa and sometimes meat. It is the ultimate comfort breakfast. Changua, from Bogotá and Boyacá, is a soup of milk, water, eggs and coriander, served with bread. It surprised me at first, but on a cold morning in the mountains, it makes complete sense.

11. Bakery treasures: pandebono, almojábanas and buñuelos

Colombian bakeries are dangerous places for people who love bread. Pandebono is a small bread made with cassava starch and cheese, best eaten warm. Almojábanas are soft cheese breads made with corn flour. Buñuelos are fried balls of dough and cheese, especially popular at Christmas. With a tinto or a hot chocolate, they make the perfect afternoon snack.

12. Hot chocolate with cheese

Yes, cheese inside hot chocolate. In Bogotá and other cold regions, people put pieces of fresh cheese into their hot chocolate, wait until they become soft and stringy, and eat them with a spoon. My first reaction was surprise; my second was love. It is served with bread or almojábana.

13. Tropical fruits: a paradise

For me, the greatest treasure of Colombian food is the fruit. Thanks to its many climates and altitudes, Colombia produces an extraordinary variety of fruits, many of which I had never seen before:

Colombians make fresh juices from all of them, either with water or milk. Ordering "un jugo de lulo en agua" became one of my daily pleasures.

14. Aguapanela – the drink of the people

Panela is unrefined cane sugar, and aguapanela is panela dissolved in water, served hot with lemon or cheese, or cold with lime. It is traditional, energising and affordable. When I had a cold in Manizales, my neighbour brought me hot aguapanela with lemon, and I felt cared for like family.

15. Coffee – the pride of my region

I could not finish without coffee. I live in the Coffee Region, part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Visiting a coffee farm, learning how the cherries are picked by hand on steep slopes, and tasting a freshly brewed cup in front of the mountains is an experience I recommend to everyone. In cities, there are now excellent speciality cafés where baristas explain the origin and the process of each coffee. Read my Coffee Region guide.

16. Sweets and desserts

• Arequipe: Colombia's version of dulce de leche, used in many desserts.
• Obleas: thin wafers filled with arequipe, jam, cheese and cream.
• Natilla: a Christmas dessert made with milk, panela and cinnamon, eaten with buñuelos.
• Postre de natas: a traditional dessert made with milk cream.
• Cocadas: coconut sweets from the coast.

17. Street food you should not miss

Some of the best flavours in Colombia are found on the street, often for very little money:

• Salpicón: a fruit cocktail of chopped fruits in watermelon or orange juice, perfect on hot days.
• Chontaduro: the fruit of a palm tree, cooked and served with salt and honey. Strong in flavour; people either love it or not.
• Mazorca asada: grilled corn on the cob with butter and salt.
• Obleas and arepas rellenas from small stands near parks and universities.
• Raspao: shaved ice with fruit syrups and condensed milk, especially on the coast.
• Fritanga: a mixed platter of fried sausages, potatoes and plantain, shared among friends.

18. Food in the Coffee Region and Manizales

In Manizales and the Coffee Region, mountain cuisine dominates: beans with pork, sancocho, arepas, trout from cold rivers, and abundant fruit. I love the small family restaurants where the owner remembers your order and asks about your day. Some farms offer lunch with ingredients from their own land, and eating a simple meal of beans, rice, plantain and fresh juice, looking at the coffee slopes and the clouds, is one of my happiest memories of this year. Read the wonders of Colombia.

Food culture: more than the dishes

What I love most about Colombian food is not only the taste, but the culture around it. Lunch is the main meal of the day, and many restaurants offer an affordable corrientazo or menú del día: soup, a main course with rice, protein, salad and plantain, and a juice. Families gather for Sunday meals. Neighbours share food. Markets are full of colour and conversation. Food here is about community.

If you want to practise your Spanish, markets are the best classroom. Ask the names of the fruits, ask how to prepare them, and you will receive long, generous explanations, and often a little extra, la ñapa. Read the Colombian Spanish words I love.

My personal top five

If a friend visiting Colombia asked me to choose only five experiences, I would say: a bowl of ajiaco on a cold afternoon in Bogotá; an arepa de choclo with fresh cheese at a roadside stall in the mountains; fried fish with coconut rice facing the Caribbean; a lulo juice in a local market; and a cup of coffee on a farm in the Coffee Region, with the person who grew it explaining every step. None of them is expensive. All of them are unforgettable.

Tips for food lovers visiting Colombia

• Try the menú del día in local restaurants for authentic, affordable food.
• Visit local markets, such as Paloquemao in Bogotá or the plaza de mercado in any town.
• Ask for regional specialities wherever you go.
• Try fruit juices "en agua" or "en leche".
• Join a coffee farm tour in the Coffee Region.
• Be adventurous: hot chocolate with cheese is worth it!

Read also restaurants and food abroad for useful English for restaurants.

Frequently asked questions

What is the national dish of Colombia?

There is no single official national dish, but ajiaco, bandeja paisa and sancocho are often mentioned as the most representative.

Is Colombian food spicy?

Generally not. Spice is added at the table with ají, a fresh sauce of herbs, onion and chilli.

What fruits should I try in Colombia?

Lulo, maracuyá, granadilla, guanábana, uchuva, pitahaya and feijoa are some of the most delicious.

Why do Colombians put cheese in hot chocolate?

It is a tradition from Bogotá and other cold regions. The cheese melts and becomes soft and stringy, creating a delicious combination.

Where can I visit a coffee farm in Colombia?

In the Coffee Region, in departments such as Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda, many farms offer tours.