Colombia, located in South America has started gaining popularity for its street food. The food is delicious and inexpensive. Here is a list of 20 best street foods in Colombia you must try:
1 Almojábana
Almojábana is a savory bun style cheese bread made of pre-cooked corn meal, salted cottage cheese, milk, and eggs. They are shaped like a bagel, and often consumed in breakfast or as a snack.
2 Avena
Avena is an oatmeal-based drink having a rich, creamy texture. It has a custardy and thick consistency similar to that of a smoothie. It is a savior for vegetarians and people having a sweet tooth as it is made from oats, cinnamon, water, salt, sugar, and cloves boiled together and simmered with milk and served hot. Most restaurants and cafes serve it in a tall glass with a cinnamon stick.
3 Empanadas
Empanadas is a staple street food of Colombia. They are everyone’s go-to snack. They are a cornmeal dough pastries stuffed with chicken, minced beef, or potato. Other vegetarian versions are also available. They are best enjoyed with hot chili sauce.
4 Jugos
Jugos is a perfect drink to quench your thirst in Colombia. From watermelon juice to lemon juice blended with coconut milk, everything is available here. Unusual juices like maracuyá, guanábana, and lulo are also available. Regional specialties like Cali (lulo and pineapple), Valle del Caucs, and Cholados (lulo mixed with condensed milk, sugar, and ice) are also available.
5 Marranito
Marranito means little pig. This dish consists of a plantain ball where it is stuffed with roasted pork seasoned with a lot of savory spices.
6 Merengón
Merengón is a fluffy meringue – based dessert which resembles a pavlova. It is served with toppings like mango, strawberries, and guanabana (a delicious tropical fruit) with whipped cream. It is enjoyed by people of all age groups.
7 Pandebono
Pandebono gets its name from “good bread.” It is a soft dough made from corn flour, cheese, cassava starch, and eggs. Guava jam, also known as bocadilo is also used. It is a cheesy slice of heaven and popularly consumed in breakfast. Traditionally, it is consumed when it is still warm with hot chocolate or just after a few minutes of baking.
8 Picada
If you want true Colombian street food, then you must try Picada which means chopped. It has chunks of steak and grilled chorizo. This platter has a lot of variety like corn on the cob, yucca, plantain, and potatoes stewed in herbs.
9 Salchipapa
When you cross a hotdog, known as salchicha with a potato, known as papa; you get Salchipapa. It is a staple Colombian street food consisting of a plate of fried papas and sausage served with savory sauce and ketchup. If you don’t want to get into fast food, then you can replace it with quail eggs.
10 Tintico
There is no surprise that Colombians produce some of the best coffee in the world. The gourmet coffee culture is yet to emerge in the country. Colombians prefer to have their coffee watery as a tintico which means little coffee.
11 Tamales
Tamales are a delicious street food where corn dough is mixed with vegetables or meat and cheese which is then steamed inside wrapped banana leaves. Colombians prefer to use banana leaves instead of corn husk. Other variants also differ from region to region putting their spin.
12 Raspao
Raspao is served as a shaved ice snow cones filled with fruit juice, condensed milk, passion fruit, and colombian blackberry syrup all over. It is a cross between frozen dessert, drink, and fruit cocktail. Its excellent taste makes it irresistible. They are popular in Cartagena and sold in all major carts.
13 Patacones
Patacones is simple and delicious street food from Colombia. They are green plantains turned into a patty, and then deep fried. They are popularly served as a side dish in many restaurants. Many street stalls sell them too, topped with avocado and creole sauce of onion and tomato.
14 Obleas
Obleas is a sweet treat found in Colombia. They are round thin wafer sandwich having many layers including layers of strawberry or raspberry jam, cheese, and arequipe or crème de leche. They can be customized as per your choice.
15 Mazorca
Mazorca is a popular street food having a stack of corn with vegetables, meat, or pork. It is topped with fries while ketchup and cheese are drizzled all over. You can also prepare it with bechamel sauce where you can opt for baking with bacon in the oven.
16 Lechón
Colombians go gaga over pork. Lechón is just another pork dish where it is slow cooked over charcoal until it is crispy. The pig is stuffed with green onion, yellow peas, yellow rice, and seasoned with other spices. Many street stalls sell it in strips or chunks accompanied with tamale or hot sauce.
17 Hormegas Culoñas
Yes, people in South America eat ants, and Hormegas Culoñs is one perfect dish. These leaf cutter ants are roasted with salt and served as a side dish during breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Their flavor and texture are not unlike roasted peanuts.
18 Churros
In Colombia, Churros are deep-fried, donut-like pastries different from the Spanish ones. Here, they are glazed with arequipe and sweetened condensed milk while in Spain, they are served with a side dish of chocolate. They are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in a sauce according to your choice and sprinkled with sugar on top.
19 Buñuelos
Buñuelos is a deep fried savoury cheese ball served as a popular breakfast treat. They are made from salty flour and cheese; then balls are made filled with arequipe or chocolate sauce. It is a Colombian version of Dulce de leche and tastes best when served hot.
20 Casabe
Casabe was once an indigenous staple of Latin America It is made from cassava, yucca flour. It is served as a side dish in many restaurants and has a bland taste. Colombia has made another version where Casabe is served with a mozzarella cheese made from fermented cow’s milk.
