Colombia
Colombia has a varied regional cuisine and some wonderful fruits. Do try them. You'll be offered coffee in various forms:
tinto: small cup of strong, black coffee
perico or pintado: small cup of coffee with milk
café con leche: coffee with lots of milk
Black, or regular tea, isn't popular, but aromáticas, herbal teas, are. Try a cup of
cidrón or citrus tea, yerbabuena or mint tea, or manzanilla, or camomile tea. The latter are
excellent after a meal, and are used to settle the stomach. Try also some agua de panela, which is a drink of unrefined sugar, hot water and
lemon.
On the alcoholic side, Colombian beers are cheap and fairly good. Rum is good and popular along the coast.
You'll find mixed results with chicha and guarapo which is home-brewed mix of fruit in agua de panela.
Aguardiente is popular, but local wines are not recommended.
Try these Recipes from Colombia. You might find instructions for:
Ajiaco: chicken soup with potatoes, corn and capers
Bandeja paisa: ground beef, chorizo, beans, fried plátano, fried egg,
chicarrón, and avocado
Cuy: grilled guinea pig
Hormiga culona: fried ants - unique to Santander
Lechona: baked pig stuffed with meat, rice, peas
Tamales: pork, rice and vegetables mix, steamed in banana leaves
Venezuela
Coffee lovers will enjoy
Fruit juices are popular and served pure, batido or watered down or as a merengado or milkshake. Beer
is popular, as in rum. Look for:
Arepas: flat bread, either served plain at meals or filled with meat, cheese, or fish and eaten as a snack from an arepera
Cachapa: fresh corn pancake, like a tortilla, served with cheese and/or ham
Cachito: hot bread roll stuffed with ham
Hallaca: meat, vegetables, olive stuffing in corn dough, steamed in plantain leaves
Mondongo: tripe cooked in bouillon with vegetables, corn and potatoes
Muchacho: roast loin of beef in sauce
Pabellón: shredded beef, rice, beans, and fried plantain
Parillada: barbequed meats
Sancocho: fish stew with vegetables
Guyana
Guyana's cuisine shows definite ethnic influences. East Indian flavors, Chinese food, and creole cuisine influence Guyanese
cooking. Juices, beer and a fruit punch are popular beverages. Enjoy spicy pepperpot stew, perhaps made with iguana or watrash, cook-up rice, curries, cow-heel soup and seafood dishes.
French Guiana
Here you'll enjoy international cuisine plus Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian dishes. Imported soft and alcoholic drinks are popular, but expensive.
Suriname
Javanese, creole, Chinese and Hindustani cuisine plus favorite Dutch influences are popular. Beer and rum are popular alcoholic drinks. Try these Recipes of Suriname for an authentic taste and flavor of the country.
Enjoy the
Cuisine of Argentina and Chile
Cuisine of Ecuador and Brazil
Cuisine of Paraguay, Uruguay and the Falkland Islands
Cuisine of Peru and Bolivia.
No matter where you travel in South America, or make a South American recipe at home, enjoy!
You might want to browse through the selections and perhaps try the recipes in Our Latin Table : Celebrations, Recipes, and Memories (direct buy) for a taste of Latin American cuisine.
Buen provecho!
