Before arriving to Colombia, I did not know much about Colombian food. Since arriving, I’ve tried to try as much as possible and learn how to prepare many items myself. Here are some highlights!
One of the first foods that I tried in Colombia was an ejecutivo meal. These are meals that restaurants typically serve for lunch. It is a set meal that includes a soup, main plate, small salad and a drink. The main plate often consists of a meat, rice, beans or lentils, and fried plantains. Since I’m vegetarian, I usually get eggs instead of the meat. Since they are set meals (where most of the meal is the same for everyone), the restaurant prepares most of it in advance and in big batches. As a result, it's a quick and cheap way to get lunch. I normally eat an ejecutivo meal one or two times a week.
During the Christmas season, buñuelos and natilla are typical. Buñuelos are fried balls of sweet dough. Natilla is like a sweet jello. Buñuelos are my favorite, and they make a great colder weather snack!
Colombia is known for its variety of fruits. Some are also common in the U.S., such as mangoes, passion fruit and oranges. However, I had never heard of some of the others before coming here.
