- Traditional dishes from the Caribbean region
- Sancocho coastal
- Seafood casserole
- Fish cracklings
- Bocachico widow
- Bocachico in kid
- Rice with coconut
- Shredded meat
- Cheese fingers or Tequeños
- Rabbit stew
- Carimañola
- Chicken rice
- Ripe banana mazamorra
- Yucca bun
- Tripe
- References
The typical dishes of the Caribbean region of Colombia collect influences from the three cultures that have lived in that area. The fertile lands of this region allow all kinds of fruits and vegetables to be grown, shellfish and fish are obtained from the sea (also in freshwater rivers) and of course, there are the animals of the mountain.
Both indigenous and Spanish and the descendants of the African slaves brought to those lands, have done their bit in shaping its rich gastronomy.
The Caribbean region of Colombia is located in the north of the country. Its name is due to the homonymous sea with which it limits some of the 8 departments that make it up.
Due to its history, culture, rhythms or gastronomy, they have different features contributed by the peoples who live there.
Finally, the fact of the fusion of several cultures in its dishes can add to the success of the Caribbean gastronomy of Colombia. For example:
- The cheese of the Europeans.
- The chili pepper of the indigenous.
- The fried eggplant of the Arabs.
- The yam of the Africans.
Traditional dishes from the Caribbean region
The fishing tradition of the area makes fish have an important weight in the diet of its inhabitants.
Likewise, dishes made with beef, chicken or pork are frequent. The most widely used vegetable products are those of the region, such as cassava, banana, rice or corn.
There are many typical recipes of the region. Not forgetting others such as arepas, seafood casseroles, fish, etc…, these are some of the traditional dishes:
Sancocho coastal
It is one of the most typical dishes of the area, although we will find many more types of sancocho throughout the region. It is a recipe widely used in festive moments and in family gatherings.
Ingredients vary by area. Meat is often used, either of one type or of several, including the very typical Creole hen.
It can also be made from fish or pigeon peas, a legume. Other common ingredients are corn, green and ripe banana, yams, yucca and potatoes, as well as tomatoes and garlic.
Seafood casserole
Thanks to the good variety of fish and shellfish that the Atlantic and Pacific oceans provide Colombia, gastronomic wonders such as the seafood casserole emerge.
This dish is made with the following ingredients:
- Prawns
- Fish
- Clams
- Chopped onion
- Chopped garlic
- Grated carrot
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Paprika (red and green)
- Milk cream
- Tomato paste
Although this dish is usually served at elegant events, it is also very common at family Sunday lunches.
Fish cracklings
This is a very simple and useful preparation dish for any occasion. Just get a good couple of fish fillets (white) that have no bones.
This dish consists of well fried fish to which a couple of drops of lemon are added and it is commonly accompanied by sauces and salads. Its main ingredients are:
- White fish
- Vegetable oil
- Half a cup of wheat flour
- Salt and pepper to taste)
On the Caribbean coast, this dish is also usually eaten with a yucca bun.
Bocachico widow
The bocachico is a fish that lives in swamps and rivers. Although some variety is found in other regions, the best known is the one fished in the Magdalena River, which runs through the entire Caribbean region.
This fish must remain marinating for a couple of hours with lemon juice, garlic and pepper and then add it to a cooking that we will have made with ripe bananas, yucca and yams. Later, take yourself and sweet peppers (chili) are added.
In any case, there are more ways of preparation, including some that require salting the fish and drying it for two days.
As for its curious name, a legend from the department of Magdalena states that a betrayed woman killed her husband and his lover.
Then he committed suicide on the river bank and, since then, his ghost appears to the fishermen. To appease her, they prepare the recipe.
Bocachico in kid
Within the Colombian Caribbean coast, this delicacy is consumed mainly in Barranquilla.
This dish consists of filling the bocachico (a freshwater fish and tropical climate) with vegetables and grilled over charcoal.
The main ingredients of bocachico in kid are:
- Bocachico
- Onion
- Garlic
- Grated carrot
- Paprika (red or green)
- Chili pepper
This roasted delicacy is served with yucca and guarapo.
Rice with coconut
This dish is usually served as an accompaniment to meat and fish. Its flavor is bittersweet and it has two different versions: Arroz Blanco de Coco or Arroz de Coco Negrito.
To prepare it you need a good coconut, from which both the milk and the pulp are used.
It is a simple recipe, with only four or five ingredients, and it is usually served with patacones and accompanying fried fish.
Shredded meat
Shredded meat (also called "old clothes") is a dish made with shredded cow meat.
Ingredients:
- Cow meat
- Onion
- Garlic
- Red pepper)
- Oregano
This plane is occasionally filled with arepas and is accompanied with rice and / or beans.
In addition to Colombia, shredded meat or old clothes are very popular in other Caribbean areas such as Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica.
Cheese fingers or Tequeños
Originally from Venezuela, these snacks are in great demand in Colombia.
These sandwiches are doughs of flour (fried or baked) filled with white cheese, and are usually eaten at breakfasts, snacks, snacks at an event, among others.
Ingredients:
- Wheat flour
- Butter (or margarine)
- Eggs
- Salt
- Water
Although the most popular tequeños are those that are filled with cheese, there are other varieties, such as tequeños filled with ham or seafood.
Rabbit stew
This dish is usually accompanied by white rice or vegetables (steamed). Cut the rabbit into pieces and cook for about twenty minutes until the meat is tender.
The main ingredients used to prepare this dish are:
- Two rabbits
- A tomato (ripe)
- Garlic cloves
- Capers
- Chopped onion
- Chopped parsley
- Dry wine (half a cup)
- Orange juice (half a cup)
Without a doubt, the stewed rabbit is an extremely delicious Caribbean dish.
Carimañola
Caramiñolas are cassava buns stuffed with cheese and ground meat that are browned in oil.
This dish is typical of the gastronomy of the Colombian Caribbean and is also usually accompanied with guacamole or chopped tomato.
Caramiñola ingredients:
- Peeled yucca
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Chili pepper
- Salt and pepper
Also, as a variety, the ground meat filling is usually replaced by chicken or cheese.
Chicken rice
Although rice with chicken is a popular dish around the world, it is even more so in the Caribbean (and other parts of the American continent) and Asia.
In the Colombian Caribbean region, its production mainly uses the following ingredients:
- Skinless chicken breast
- White rice (regular grain)
- Vegetable oil
- Onion and garlic
- Tomato paste
- Paprika (green and red)
- Parsley and / or coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste)
Since this is a popular dish, recipes and ingredients vary according to geographic location.
Ripe banana mazamorra
This dish has different recipes depending on the geographical area of Colombia. For example, in Boyacá you can find sweet mazamorras (mixed with sugar and panela) and salty (mixed with onion, garlic and coriander).
For the specific case of the Colombian Caribbean, this dish is prepared mainly with:
- Ripe banana
- Milk
- Cinnamon sticks
- Coastal cheese (to add a salty flavor)
It is worth clarifying that within this region, the dish is made on other occasions with corn and green bananas.
Yucca bun
Yucca is a very important element in the cuisine of this region, as it is used in many recipes.
The buns are very typical of the Barranquilla area, although they are also prepared in other areas. Its origin is clearly indigenous, like other types that are prepared throughout the coast.
It is a very simple recipe, for which you only need corn husks, salt and previously cooked yucca.
You just have to grind it and wrap it with the leaves. They are usually served to accompany other dishes such as butifarras.
Tripe
Tripe is another of the specialties of the Caribbean region, although it is also found in other areas with slight variations.
Its main ingredient is tripe from beef. Likewise, the leg of this same animal and a series of vegetables are used to make a kind of soup. Complete this dish, corn, potato, yucca, yam and peas, among others.
The term tripe seems to come from the Spanish conquerors. Specifically, in Murcia they call this a recipe that also uses the animal's belly.
References
- Colombia Cultural Heritage. Characteristics of the Caribbean Region. Obtained from colombiapatrimoniocultural.wordpress.com
- Typical Colombian Food. Caribbean Region. Retrieved from sites.google.com
- Typical meals. Typical dishes of the Caribbean region. Obtained from Comidastipicas.co
- Aronowitz, Hannah. Bringing Colombian recipes to the world: Sancocho. Obtained from colombiareports.com
- Phillips, Matt. The wonders of Colombia's Caribbean coast. Retrieved from lonelyplanet.com