I picked up this book at the library a few weeks ago. I chose this one because it looked so original. Unlike most recipe book covers, it didn't have dainty table settings and elaborately garnished meals. I’m glad I did, for I learnt a little about a cuisine that I knew nothing of.
Columbian food is a blend of African and European cuisines. It is very heavy on meat – other than recipes for beef & pork, the book had an abundance of unusual food like rabbit meatloaf, baked fowl and oxtail stew! I also noticed that many recipes called for a ‘blood broth’ of sorts. While this may seem repulsive to many, in Columbia, it is apparently not unusual to simmer food in blood! One meat that was conspicuous by its absence was chicken.
Potatoes, in many variations, are also a staple in the Columbian diet. That and Arepas. Arepas are a kind of bread made with corn flour, synonymous with this country’s cuisine. The book also had an entire section devoted to guavas, with at least 5 different recipes! I learnt that this sweet fruit reached Columbia and India via Spain.
Another oft used food is the plantain. This doesn’t surprise me because the plantain has influenced almost all parts of South America. One recipe that particularly caught my eye is the ‘Platano asado con queso’. Plantain with cheese. That being said, I have decided to read up on any one country’s cuisine every month and try a recipe.
If I can do this for a whole year, imagine how well-informed I could be!
