3 Colombian Food Recipes to Satisfy Your Wanderlust Right Now
There’s no mystery as to why Colombia churns out some of the best mountain men in the peloton: It’s home to—well, muchas montañas. Since the vast swaths of the Amazon doesn’t hold much riding potential, Colombian riders steer toward the three fingers of the Andes that scissor the South American nation from north to south.
The whole area is home to some of the longest, air-sucking paved climbs in the world including the 50-mile slog that is the famed Alto de Letras. But now, gravel enthusiasts are also setting their sights on this cycling nirvana. On a recent bikepacking trip, I dove deep into the seemingly never-ending supply of gravel roads and dirt paths that snake their way through the soaring Colombian Andes.
Was I fueling for these brag-worthy climbs and screaming hairpin descents on bars, gels and chews? No. My appetite naturally shifted to the food and drinks that Egan Bernal and others rely on for their summit bids.
[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]
Here are three recipes for traditional Colombian foods, just some of the gastro pleasures I brought home with me (the minimalist nature of bikepacking doesn’t allow much room for souvenirs) that I now use to fuel my training at home. They offer a balance of everything you need to fly up climbs and bounce back faster afterward.
1. Arepas
Servings: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
From pros to weekend club riders, Colombian cyclists of all stripes reach for arepas and wash them down with tinto (cinnamon and sugar-spiked coffee) to fuel a hilly day in the saddle. Simply put, arepas are a corn-based cross between a tortilla and a pancake that are typically crisp on the outside, and tender and fluffy on the inside. And often they are made even more awesome by being stuffed with cheese.
Wrap a few up and stuff them in your jersey pocket for a hit of savory on-the-go rocket fuel. They’re also so-good when served warm and slathered with butter for breakfast.
The key is to use white or yellow masarepa flour, which is a type of precooked cornmeal flour that should not be confused with masa harina, which is used for making tortillas. It’s also sometimes called areparina, masa al instante, or harina precocida. Try using regular cornmeal, and you’ll be blacklisted by Colombian grandmas everywhere. Besides, once you try this recipe, you’ll be making arepas day and night, so it’s a hardly an ingredient that will go to waste.
Ingredients:
1 cup masarepa flour
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons canola or grapeseed oil
Instructions:
1. Combine the flour, cheese, and salt in a bowl, then stir in water with a wooden spoon until incorporated and a loose dough forms. Let stand covered until enough water is absorbed for a soft dough to form, about 5 minutes.
2. Form 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball, and flatten between damp palms, gently pressing to form a 1/4-inch-thick disc. Alternatively, place each ball in between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and flatten gently with the bottom of a pot. Add a small amount more water if needed—the dough should be moist (but not wet) enough so that when the arepas are formed there are very few cracks around the edges. If cracks form, gently press around edge to seal. Form more discs with remaining dough. You should get about eight arepas.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon (tbsp) of oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then fry half of the arepas, turning over once, until browned in spots and a crust has formed on surface, 8 to 10 minutes total. Add remaining oil to pan before cooking second batch. Stuff with your favorite toppings and fillings.
2. Colombian Fruit Cocktail (Salpicón de Frutas)
Servings: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
From familiar fruits including mango, pineapple, and watermelon, to lesser-known delights like lulo, guanabana and maracuya, Colombia is a nation for tropical fruit lovers. And street vendors put them to delicious use in this fruit salad-fruit juice hybrid.
Sweet, hydrating, and ultra-refreshing, it’s exactly what we craved after going to battle with the rowdy Colombia trocha (dirt roads). And the carbs in the fruit work wonders at restocking spent energy stores to prepare for another uphill grind.
Traditionally made with Colombiana, a Colombian sparkling soda, the chopped fruit is also commonly bathed in watermelon juice. You can also use your favorite flavored seltzer water or even trendy kombucha. Employ any combination of chopped fruit that suites your tastes or what’s in season—strawberries, grapes, peaches, and cantaloupe work great, too.
Serve it with a spoon to eat the fruit then drink the juice when the fruit is all gone. If you’re craving something sweet, top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients:
4 cups chopped seedless watermelon
zest of 1 lime
2 cups chopped apple
2 cups chopped pineapple
2 bananas, chopped
1 cup chopped mango
1 (5 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (optional)
Instructions:
1. Place watermelon, 1/3 cup water, and lime zest in a blender container and blend until smooth.
2. Mix apple, pineapple, banana, and mango in a large bowl or container. Pour watermelon juice over fruit and chill for at least 2 hours. Add additional water or watermelon juice if fruit is not covered. The fruit mixture will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days.
3. When ready to serve, scoop some of the fruit cocktail into a serving glass and top with a swirl of condensed milk if using.
3. Fried Plantains (Patacones)
Servings: 2-3
Prep time: 30 minutes
Rarely a day would pass were we didn’t go bananas for this Colombian version of French fries. Patacones (pronounced pat-a-cone-ehs), a.k.a. fried plantains, are served in family-run restaurants all over Colombia as part of a hearty plate of food that often also includes a huge hunk of meat, rice, beans, and salad. It’s all the macronutrients you need to recover from a roller coaster of a ride. Or if you’re lucky, you’ll also find fried plantains served as an appetizer with guacamole.
Dipping these smashed plantains in salsa for a postride nosh is another smart move. The plantains you need for this recipe are the green ones which work for savory dishes, while the riper, yellow-skinned ones are saved for sweet preparations.
Ingredients:
1 green plantain
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil
Instructions:
1. Slice the tip off each end of plantain so the fruit is exposed then wrap in a damp paper towel. Microwave on high power for 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Let rest, still wrapped for another 5 minutes.
2. Carefully peel away skin from plantain (it will be hot), and slice into rounds about 1-inch thick. Place rounds on a cutting board and use another cutting board, a kitchen mallet or flat bottom pan to smash them into thin circles no more than 1/4-inch thick. You should have at least eight circles. Season with salt.
3. Warm 2 tbsp of oil in a heavy pan—preferably cast-iron—over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add half of the plantain circles, lower the heat to medium, and cook them for 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. They should be lightly browned and crispy when done. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oil and plantain circles.
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