I Love Buñuelos: Street Food in Bogotá, Colombia
- Talia
- Feb 20, 2017
- 3 min read
One of our favorite parts about our short visit to Bogotá was the variety, quality, and low prices of the street food. On any busy street corner, you can find a delicious array of popular Colombian snacks such as arepas, chontaduro, obleas, and of course, buñuelos (check out my ode to this scrumptious delicacy here). Let's take a look at our top picks.
Patilla
Patilla, or sandía are Spanish terms for watermelon. You can buy a cup of watermelon pieces for 2000 Colombian pesos (70 cents USD), or a small slice like I have here for 1000 Colombian pesos (35 cents USD).
Chontaduro
Chontaduro is the Spanish word for "peach palm fruit," though it's taste couldn't be further from the sweet and juicy consistency that it's name suggests. Chontaduro is a dry and savory fruit that has a texture similar to that of a potato. It is well-known to contain several important vitamins and minerals and boasts many health benefits such as helping with smooth digestion, regulating insulin and glucose production, and improving vision and skin cell production.
To prepare the fruit for consumption, if must be boiled for about two hours so that it is soft enough to peel and eat. Like an avocado, it contains a large seed in the middle which can be cracked open and eaten. Chontaduro is typically served with sal (salt) and miel (honey). You can find it on the streets of Bogotá for 2000 Colombian Pesos (70 cents USD).
Obleas
Obleas are made from the same wafers that are eaten during communion in the Catholic church with one exception: they are super-sized. Obleas come with a variety of toppings including arequipe (or dulce de leche, similar to caramel), a variety of fruity jellies, heavy cream, and shredded coconut. The toppings are added to one wafer and another is then placed on top to create a delicious, sugary wafer sandwich.
Obleas are sold for between 1500 and 5000 Colombian pesos (50 cents to $1.75 USD), depending on how many toppings you choose to indulge in.
Arepas
A staple of the Colombian diet, arepas are fried corn cakes that can be filled with cheese and/or a variety of meats and topped with anything from avocado sauce to honey. Different regions of the country have specialty arepas, but they all have two things in common: they're delicious, and they're cheap. You can find them on Avenida Septima for between 1200 and 5000 Colombian pesos, depending on your choice of protein(s) and toppings.
Mango Bicho (Green Mangos)
I'm one of the maybe 2 people on this planet that doesn't like mangoes... or so I thought until I tried mangos bichos in Bogotá. This popular snack is prepared by slicing unripe mangoes into spirals and topping them with lime juice and salt. Other optional ingredients include hot sauce, pepper, vinegar, honey, condensed milk and blackberry sauce.
Many street food stands also offer other fruits such as watermelon, papaya, kiwi and strawberry with these same flavors. A cup like this one goes for 2000 Colombian pesos (70 cents USD).
Chicharron de Coco
These delicious coconut fingers are prepared by frying coconut slices battered with panela or brown sugar, lime and cinnamon. You can buy a small paper bag for 2000 Colombian pesos (70 cents USD).
Salpicón
Salpicón is a sugary juice filled with chunks of fruits such as pineapple, papaya, mango, watermelon, apples and grapes. You can sip it with a straw and then eat the fruit chunks, or eat it like a soup with a spoon.
Pizza
I'm going to be completely honest here... there is nothing special about this pizza except for the fact that it's cheap. Really cheap. You can get a hawaiian, veggie or "specialty" slice for just 1000 Colombian pesos, or 35 cents USD. Tomasz is definitely a bigger fan than I am... the toppings usually look a bit sketchy, so choose your slice wisely.
Ok, so I saved the best for last! There is something that is so absolutely tasty about the simplicity of buñuelos. Maybe it's the southern girl in me... they're basically fried balls of corn bread with a bit a cheese mixed in. The first time we tried them they were much smaller, about the size of a ping pong ball, but every other time I've dragged Tomasz into a panadería (bakery) to seek them out they've been much bigger (as seen in this photo). They're best when they're warm and soft, straight out of fryer. To further illustrate how much I am enamored with these things, Tomasz brought me orejas (a heart shaped pastry) and buñuelos for Valentine's Day. Best. Gift. Ever.
Check back soon for our next post by Tomasz, "TnT on the Road: What We're About." Tomasz will discuss the purpose of our current trip and our personal and joint goals and projects during this 8 month journey.