By Carolina Moreno

As most of the cuisines of different countries, the colombian one has been influenced by other cultures which arrived to our country during the conquest time and after the XIX and XX centuries. 

These cultures were the Indigenous, who lived in this territory, the Spanish who arrived in the discovery trips, and Africans, who the Spanish took with them as slaves to work in the mines.

This miscegenation defines not only our gastronomic identity but also the cultural identity of our country.

Thus, nowadays there are a great variety of typical dishes in Colombia which are the result of mixing three cultures.

The eating habits of our indigenous ancestors were changed due to the arrival of Andalusian, Valencian and Aragonese conquerors, among others.

The Republic of Colombia is located in South America. It has coasts on the Atlantic Ocean and on the Pacific Ocean. It limits to the south with Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, sharing the Amazon River. It has three mountain ranges named the ´´Andean Region´´, To the east of the Andes we have two big regions: the plains and Amazon.

Given that every region has its own special characteristics, they also have their own culinary customs. Obviously, the climate also has a strong influence. However, there are some dishes prepared with the same ingredients but used "their way" in each department.

There are also dishes that are very similar to the Spanish ones, such as the stew or stuffed cabbage, ¨atollado¨ rice, paella, the ´´ puchero´´ similar to the stew, blood sausages, different kind of sausage, coming from Aragoneses, and stuffed peppers.

From the gastronomic point of view, our territory can be divided into:

Each one of these regions keeps their traditions, as follow.

This variety reflects an entire culinary fusion of cultures and tastes through the centuries, although each region retained its gastronomic specialty.

So, when you come to Colombia, you will have the opportunity of tasting a great variety of food and dishes, result of the influence of several cultures: indigenous, Spaniards, Africans.

Some of the typical Colombian dishes are:

 Ajiaco                             Tamal                                                  

  Merengón                                Envuelto

  Bandeja paisa

References:

Mario Rueda´s blogg (https://emporiumdigital.blogspot.com/)

Wikipedia