bogota food guide
Whether it's beef and potato wrapped in corn and deep fried for breakfast or cheese in your hot chocolate. Colombian food can take some getting used to. Here's our guide to traditional breakfast, lunch, dinner and a few things in between. Dive in, it's delicious.
Breakfast
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Empanada | Originally a middle eastern way to keep meat fresher for longer. They're cornmeal parcels filled with just about anything. You'll now find Empanadas all over the world. They're cheap too. You want 'La Casera' (homemade) and deep fried. La Catedral on Carrera 7 does a mean Carne and Potato for just 1,000Cop (£0.18)
lunch
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Almuerzo | A set lunch is an Almuerzo or Menu del Dia and are usually the most affordable lunch option. They almost always come with a soup, meat option and a drink. Carbon de Lena does a potato, corn and chicken soup with a side of rice and avocado - tip the side in like the locals do. An Almuerzo will cost you around 20,000Cop (£3.52) and leave you stuffed.
snack
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Arepa | Almost as ubiquitous as the Empanada. A corn based bun, Arepa's come in many varieties. Some are filled and some are not. In Bogota Arepa de Choclo is filled with cheese and then grilled. An Arepa Paisa (from Medellin) is tasteless until you fill it with egg and deep fry it. An Arepa de Choclo is sweet. Fillings? The skies the limit.
dinner
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Chigüiro | It's not unusual to see your dinner smoking in the open air over a BBQ all day. The smell, wow. Sometimes it's a giant rodent. Capybara is served for around 30,000Cop (£5.28) with rice, plantain and veggies. It's like tender pork, juicy, salty and delicious.
desert
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Oblea | You can pick an Oblea up on any busy street corner. Our go to was the lady on the corner of Calle 11 and Carrera 6 near to the main square. Think stroop waffle the size of your face with filling options like: mora jam, cream, arequipe, coconut, cheese and more. An Oblea on the street will cost 2,000Cop (£0.35).
drinks
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Canelazo | A warm spiced tea with honey and alcohol (if you want it). Think mulled wine. Delicious and available from any busy street corner - look for the guys with stainless steel vats on wheels. A cup will cost 6,000Cop (£1.05).
Guarapo Costeño | Sugar Cane and lemon juice. Families run their street carts for generations and guard the actual recipe well. Sweet and sharp and a bargain at around 2,000Cop (£0.35).
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something else
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Onces | Fancy a tipple after work with your mates? The men of Bogota do, though to keep it from their wives they named it onces. They'd hang out and drink aguardiente all afternoon. It didn't take long to get found out. Now the wives have their own onces. The ladies prefer hot chocolate with cheese.
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