Colombian Creativity (Except with Coffee)

Around the globe, people’s palates are developed based on their environments. What we are fed as we grow up is usually what we feed our children, and the cycle continues. When we contrast Colombian cuisine with westernised food, we see just how such cycles can vary.

One of Colombia’s signature dishes ‘Mondongo’ is a soup made with the chopped stomach and intestines of a cow. If that doesn’t sound appetising, it is usually served with a combination of rice, avocado and banana. 'Arepas' are another product of Colombia, served with nearly every meal. A simple combination of cornflower and water that can be fried, baked or grilled, and served with anything from cheese to condensed milk.

                   Arepa

Mondongo

Sounds weird doesn’t it? We like our soups savoury and our pancakes sweet, why should Colombia be any different? But before you cross Colombia off your travel agenda due to ‘culinary complications’, try looking at a similar issue from their point of view…coffee for instance.

Westernised Coffee

                                                   

How do you like your coffee? Short, tall, black, white, soy, decaf? Do you like it with whipped cream, chocolate, or maybe it needs a fern pattern in the froth? How do you think Juan Valdez & the coffee farmers of Colombia would view modern coffee creations compared to their traditional, pure coffee? Nabob Coffee Company shows us the answer.

Although I should point out that it is these Colombians who only drink their coffee fresh and black that also enjoy their hot chocolates with cheese….So next time you encounter a dish that seems unusual, remember that everyone has their own palate, tastes that they have grown to love over time, and it never hurts to try these seemingly foreign flavours. Who knows, you might just find your new favourite food.