Street Food from Colombia
Street food: we just can’t get enough of it. Luckily, there’s still plenty of new food to discover around the world. Each time, we travel to a new country. Today: the South American country of Colombia. There, you can enjoy things like mango strips with a salt-and-lime dressing and crushed plantains.
Oblea
A large, round and wafer-thin wafer, spread with a thick and sticky layer of arequipe (a type of caramel). Then it’s topped with plenty of grated cheese and blueberry jam. And on top of that comes another wafer. But wait a minute: cheese and caramel? That sounds like a strange combination. Yet it isn’t. The cheese is quite mild and therefore doesn’t add much in terms of flavor, but it does add texture. Oh yes: some vendors try to attract attention with even stranger combinations and sprinkles. Don’t fall for it—the classic oblea topping is much tastier.
Mango Biche
For 2,000 pesos (just under one euro), you can buy a kind of mango noodles in a cup in Colombia. Actually, it’s simply a mango that is not quite ripe yet, cut into strips and topped with salt and lime. Apparently, it makes your mouth tingle. We want some too!
Salpicón
A fruit salad and smoothie at the same time. What’s in it? Pieces of banana, papaya, watermelon and mango, bathing in a papaya purée. The fruit is perfectly ripe. So ripe that you wonder whether sugar has secretly been added to the salpicón. The answer: no, really not. Unless you ask for extra sweetness yourself. Because versions with soda or cream mixed in, or ice cream on top, are very common in Colombia.
Patacones
Plantains that are not yet fully ripe are used to make patacones. Still a little green, in other words, otherwise they would be too sweet. The bananas are cut into thick pieces, submerged in sizzling-hot oil and then allowed to cool for a while. The slices are then crushed and fried again, making them extra crispy and giving them a golden-yellow coating.
Buñuelos
Buñuelos are sold on virtually every street corner in Colombia. We understand why: the little balls are very easy to make yourself. What you need: queso blanco (white cheese), tapioca flour (available at Asian grocery stores) and egg. Knead the three ingredients into a ball and toss it into the oil. The idea is to eat the buñuelo straight away once it has cooled down a little; otherwise, it will become hard.
Lechona
A pig stuffed with rice, yellow peas and spring onion, then given eight hours to cook on a spit. On your plate, you get a piece of meat with a crispy and fatty exterior and an incredibly tender interior.
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