A New Take on Classic Cuisine.

Colombia is a land of extremes, filled with snow-covered mountains, simmering volcanoes, tropical beaches, diverse deserts, and vast grasslands. Each terrain comes with its own food traditions. For instance, the people of Colombia’s Cundiboyacense region (the high plateau in the Andes) eat plenty of starchy soups, rich stews, and fresh fruits. This gives them the necessary nutrition and energy to finish difficult agricultural work.

In the past, you would’ve been hard pressed to find Cundiboyacense dishes outside that region. But times, they are a changin’. There’s a new breed of Bogotá chefs who are embracing the country’s many local culinary traditions, rediscovering local ingredients and pre-Hispanic recipes, and reinterpreting them for modern palates. The results are intoxicating, dishes that mix grilled meats and deep braises with traditional starchy foods featuring whole grains, native veggies, and tropical fruits.

Of course, some items never go out of style. Like the arepa, a circular bread made from fresh cornmeal. Or bandeja paisa, the national dish that combines steak, ground beef, chicharrones, rice, beans, an egg, avocado, an arepa, and plantains. All on one plate!