If you ever find yourself in Medellin, it would be a shame not to try some of the local gourmet delights. In fact, Medellin has its own name for local restaurants — fondas.
Continue reading below to learn more about the must-try Colombian dishes in Medellin you must not miss when vacationing!
Ajiaco
Even though Colombia, Peru, and Bogota have all been quick to claim the origin of this soup dish, the Ajiaco is still one of the staples of traditional Colombian food. It contains different types of potatoes, chicken meat, corn, capers, sour cream, and avocado.
Medellin locals enjoy the ajiaco as a standalone dish, but don’t be shy to pair it with arepa, as well. With a flavorful dish like that, your belly and palate will be delighted!
Arepa
You can’t be in Medellin and not try arepa. It’s a traditional round bread made of cornmeal, and it pairs well with traditional lunch dishes or even as a standalone dish — it’s that delicious. If you want to spice things up, as Colombians do, you can add a variety of toppings like butter, veggies, or shreds of meat and delight your palate to the max.
Bandeja Paisa
Next up is the bandeja paisa, another staple in Colombia’s traditional kitchen. In America, the dish translates to a Paisan platter, a region in Colombia. This traditional Colombian dish takes an acquired taste. The meal is served on a platter, and it contains beans, an arepa, steak, chicharrones, ground beef, rice, an egg, avocado, and plantains.
As we mentioned, this dish is not for everyone, so if you have a delicate stomach, go for another dish.
Mondongo
Mondongo is another Colombian household dish that’s not for the fainthearted. It’s a filling soup made from tripe (the abdominal lining of a pig or a cow). Most commonly, Colombians enjoy the mondongo as an appetizer before the main course, but tourists enjoy it as a standalone dish, too.
A genuine Colombian mondongo in Medellin is prepared with heaps of chopped veggies like onions, carrots, peas, and a whole lot of cilantro.
Sancocho
Tourists usually compare sancocho to a traditional American barbecue because the ingredients for the dish are typically grilled. To make the sancocho, Colombians grill different meats, potatoes, and corn.
It isn’t unusual for fondas in Medellin to serve sancocho with a side of rice or a few slices of creamy avocado. And If you prefer chicken over other kinds of meat, you’ll love a plate of rice chicken sancocho.
Mazamorra
The mazamorra is, hands down, one of the most unusual must-try Colombian dishes in Medellin. The mazamorra is a traditional Colombian food heritage you should try when in Medellin. Tourists compare it to the southern-favorite grits.
The dish is made of milk and corn with a strong sweet aftertaste. Colombians usually pair the mazamorra with bocadillo, which is a Colombian sweet made of guava, caramel, and brown sugar.
Calentado
The next Colombian trademark in food is the calentado, which is actually a meal made from leftovers. Colombians prefer the calentado for breakfast, and what a breakfast it is! Rice, beans, avocado, arepa, and fried eggs comprise this sizable breakfast dish. In some parts of Colombia, the calentado is paired with meat, too
If you had a busy night touring Medellin, consider calentado for brunch the next day.
Lechona
The lechona is another tourist attraction in Medellin, especially for food enthusiasts and aspiring chefs. If you’re rather lighthearted, you might want to skip this one and stick to the arepa instead, ‘cause the lechona is basically a whole pig stuffed with peas, onions, rice, and different Colombian spices. The pig is then laid in a clay oven to cook slowly for 12 whole hours. Talk about food diversity!
Cazuela de Mariscos
If nothing rocks your boat like seafood, then this next dish is something you shouldn’t miss while in Medellin. The cazuela de mariscos is the best of Colombian seafood. It is a thick soup made of lobster, shrimp, veggies, and white fish cooked in coconut milk.
Colombians consider this dish an aphrodisiac, so if you’re traveling to Medellin with a partner, wrap up your VIP stay with the cazuela de mariscos.
Menú del Día
As you probably guessed, the next dish is not a dish per se, but a whole course. The menú del día usually consists of a soup and a main dish. If you order the menú del día in some of Medellin’s fondas, you’ll get a soup, a plate full of potatoes, rice, beans, meat, and a tiny scoop of lettuce mimicking a salad, since Colombians aren’t that big on veggies.
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