TYPICAL FOOD FROM THE NORTH OF SANTANDER: 5 TRADITIONAL DISHES - CULTURE VOCABULARY

The typical food of Norte de Santander (Colombia) has historically been shaped by a symbiotic relationship with its neighboring populations.

Norte de Santander is a border area. In pre-Hispanic times this area was inhabited by tribal societies and chiefdoms that cultivated, among others, corn, sweet potatoes, beans, Creole celery and yucca. They interacted with the Arawaks, in what is now Táchira, Venezuela.

Preparation of tamales ocareños

From that interaction, a variety of common dishes were shaped. Apart from the crops already mentioned, its gastronomic system includes squash, chili, potatoes, guavas, soursop, milky, pineapples and others.

To this must be added the ingredients product of miscegenation such as capers, chorizo and many more, which today are an essential part of this cuisine.

5 representative dishes of the typical food of Norte de Santander

Mutiscua

One of the typical dishes of Norte de Santander is named after the municipality where it was created: Mutiscua.

In this municipality the main economic activity is agriculture, being the largest producer of carrots in the entire department. Fish farming is also practiced. In fact, the trout from that area is highly valued.

As for the homonymous dish, it is a kind of stew. The ingredients to prepare it are: red meat or pork, peas, potatoes, cornmeal and seasonings.

Goat pepitoria

The pepitoria is an emblematic dish of the department of Santander. In essence, it uses the same ingredients that Spanish blood sausages are made with, but with different amounts and without the intestinal gut. In this way, the influence of Spanish culture in the region can be observed.

However, in Santander they prepare it with blood and goat meat, while in Norte Santander they use goat meat.

And in its most traditional version, the cooking and subsequent slicing of the head of this animal is included.

Ocañero tamale

Tamales are an example of the synthesis of the new culinary culture product of the arrival of the Spanish.

Among the roasted banana leaves, there is ground and seasoned corn, as well as various ingredients, according to the taste of each region.

In Santander Norte, the ocañero tamale has: corn, pork, onion, tomato and potato. Cumin, oregano and achiote are used as condiments.

arequipe

Sweets are an important part of the typical food of Norte de Santander, and among them is the arequipe.

This is the Colombian version of a very popular combination: milk and sugar. Throughout Latin America, this combination has many names: cajeta (Mexico), dulce de leche (Argentina) or fanguito (Cuba).

Now, although the main ingredients are the same, there is a difference in terms of preparation.

In Norte de Santander, cow's milk sweetened with panela (piloncillo) and thickened with corn flour is used. During cooking, branch onion (junca) is added and then removed.

Sliced goat milk

Goat's milk is used in many desserts of the typical food of Norte de Santander. In those parts goat's milk cuts are very famous.

In addition to this milk, only panela and lemon juice are needed to prepare them. Although other containers can be used, North Santander prefer to cook these cuts in copper pans.

References

Castillo, O. (2015, June 19). Frontier gastronomy: Táchira and Norte de Santander. Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from elestimulo.com.
Martínez Velandia, LE (2016). Colombia Cuisine, tradition and culture. Madrid: Bubok.
Mutiscua Norte de Santander. (s / f). Retrieved on November 14, 2017, from cucutanuestra.com.
Montaña, A. and Villegas, B. (2001). The Taste of Colombia. Cundinamarca: Villegas Editores.
Ceballos, L. (s / f). Everything you need to know about Latin American milk candies. Retrieved on November 15, 2017, from cocinadelirante.com.
Ordoñez Caicedo, C. (1984). Great book of Colombian cuisine. Bogotá: Ministry of Culture.

TYPICAL FOOD FROM THE NORTH OF SANTANDER: 5 TRADITIONAL DISHES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025