TYPICAL FOOD OF BARRANQUILLA: THE 11 MOST POPULAR DISHES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

The typical food of Barranquilla, Colombia, stands out for recipes such as arroz de lisa or sancocho de guandú. The gastronomy of the city is characterized by the influence of indigenous, Hispanic and African cultures.

The Colombian city of Barranquilla is located in the north of the country, bordering the Caribbean Sea.

The geographical location of the city means that fish is very present in the diet of its inhabitants.

Likewise, many tubers are used, such as cassava or potatoes, a use inherited from the indigenous natives.

Another ingredient very present in its typical dishes is rice, an influence of Spanish culture.

You may also be interested in the typical dishes of the Colombian Caribbean.

The most important typical foods of Barranquilla

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Smooth rice is the most typical food that can be tasted in Barranquilla. The main ingredient, apart from rice, is a marine fish called lisa, very common in the area of ​​the mouth of the Magdalena River.

Before cooking, the smooth ones have to be dried and salted. Later they are added to the rice and vegetable stew, and cumin is added to them.

It is very common to buy this rice in street stalls, accompanied by serum and cooked cassava.

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The use of yucca in the gastronomy of Barranquilla is a clearly indigenous heritage. They have used this tuber since time immemorial.

Today it is an ingredient present in many recipes, including the yuca bun.

It is a very simple dish to prepare and with few ingredients. Only cooked cassava, salt and corn husks are needed.

After grinding the yucca, you have to wrap the resulting paste with the corn husks. They are usually served to accompany other dishes such as lisa rice.

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This sancocho is one of the many variants of this dish that exist in the region and in the rest of Colombia.

Along with the fish, the sancocho de guandú with salted meat is the most popular in the Barranquilla area, and is usually enjoyed at all important celebrations and festivals.

The protagonist of the recipe is the pigeon pea, a typical legume of the area, although its origin seems to be African. Salty meat, yam and yucca are also added.

Another important ingredient is the ripe banana, due to the sweet flavor it provides. Spices such as coriander or Creole chives are also added.

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This food is based on fish. In this case it is the bocachico, a fish that lives in rivers and swamps.

To prepare it, you must first clean the fish, removing the viscera and leaving it open on the abdomen.

Then sautéed vegetables are introduced, mainly onion, tomato and sweet pepper. Finally, it is roasted with charcoal.

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This dessert is a good sample of the mixture that existed between the indigenous and African cultures, since it contains ingredients provided by both.

In Barranquilla and in the rest of the Caribbean region it is the most popular dessert, being very simple to prepare.

The base is a mixture of yucca and coconut, both grated. To these ingredients sugar, butter, anise and coastal cheese are added; the latter is an essential element on the Caribbean coast.

Everything is put in the oven until it is cooked and acquires the desired texture. It can be found in many street stalls.

6- Butifarras

It is a type of sausage or sausage made from beef and pork with spices such as salt and pepper. It is made by cutting the meat into very small pieces that are then boiled.

This preparation is placed inside an intestine and tied into several sections that are cooked in boiling water.

Butifarras are often offered at street food stores; the vendors offer it by shouting "buti, buti, buti", while they beat the metal warehouses where they are. They are traditionally served with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

7- Caribañola

It is a fried yucca dough that can contain meat, fish, chicken or cheese; These proteins are usually prepared in a stir fry before the yuca patty is filled.

Carimañolas are typical of the Caribbean region, from Colombia to Panama. This dish is usually served with various sauces.

8- Egg Arepa

This Barranquilla dish has its origin on the Caribbean coast. It is made by frying dumplings in hot oil until puffed.

A small incision must be made to form a kind of pocket in the arepa. Inside this pocket a whole egg is placed and the incision is then sealed.

Then it is fried until the arepa is golden. The result is a crispy and salty dish with a fried egg inside.

9- Rice with chipi chipi

The chipi chipi is a small mollusk very typical of the coast in Colombia, similar to a small clam.

This typical dish consists of cooked rice mixed with these small mollusks. It can be said that it is similar to a paella, since it is a rice with seafood.

10- Fried fish

This dish consists of some fried fish (typically catfish is used) accompanied with fried green plantains, coconut rice and tomato salad. Fried fish is very popular in the coastal area.

It is sometimes served with avocado and many times it is served with lemons to dip the fish in the freshly squeezed juice.

11- Rice with coconut

This dish is typical of the Caribbean; It is a rice with a sweet touch that is usually used as a companion to fried fish with patacones and fresh salad.

To make it, you must cut the coconut pulp, liquefy it and strain it. Sugar is added to this milk, let it boil and the excess of the pulp is added.

Then the rice is cooked in this liquid with a little salt and a handful of raisins is added.

References

1. Yidi, Odette. The coastal sancocho. (2012). Obtained from rcientificas.uninorte.edu.co
2. Carbo, Rosie. Discover Barranquilla, Colombia. (January 15, 2016). Retrieved from thedailymeal.com
3. Morelo, Carolina. Typical Foods of Barranquilla. Obtained from platostipicosbarranquilleros.blogspot.com.es
4. Woolridge, Anny. 23 Colombian foods the whole world should know and love. Retrieved from matadornetwork.com
5. My Colombian Cuisine. Enyucado. Obtained from mycolombiancocina.com