tasty treats i'll be missing...

as i am leaving colombia soon, to head back to new zeland and am unsure at this stage whether i will return, i thought i'd share a few of my favourite foods which i am going to miss:

LULADA

this is may absolute favourite thing in colombia. it is a drink made from the lulo fruit and is made using fresh lulos, crushed ice and sweetend condensed milk. lulos are quite tart so need the sugar to be edible, and while im not usually a fan of sweetend condensed milk, luladas are amazing. just the thing when you're having a down day or just want a tasty treat! and as far as i know, you cannot get lulos in nz or oz, in fact outside of valle they seem to be hard to find!

LULOS

the fruit used above, also great in crumbles, jucies with water or milk but no so great straight from the tree as it definately needs some sugar no matter how bitter/tart you like things. they are very tart, described in wikipedia as as cross between lime and rhubarb... not sure i quite agree but no idea how else to describe it!

CHICHARRON

this would probably have to be my secong favorite thing. it is basically crackeling, although here it comes with more meat and is not reserved soley for roast dinners! unlike like lulada i doubt there is any nutritional value but it is so delicious! also when one is hung over there is a place near us which sells what is basically a big piece of chicharron- it is pork leg, a whole leg that is roasted with skin and fat on!

PAN QUESO (calientico)

transalates to cheese bread (hot), but is so much more, it is similar to a crossiant and contains cheese in the center so when fresh and hot the cheese is melted. perfect for breakfast on the run and usually cost around quinientos-pronounced kin-yen-tos pesos (500 COP) each which is aproximately 25 cents! mmmmmm

CHONTADURO

very hard to explain. comes from a palm variety. known in colombia as very caleño and most people outside of cali and parts of valle dont like it. its reasonably dry (but when its very dry its awful) and is boiled and cooled eaten and out of the skin with salt and ocasionally honey. i have managed to find some in one of the supermarkets which are vacuum packedso will bring some back with me.

DIRTY BURGERS

sounds apetizing right? actually they are. they are burgers sold by street vendors in the evening until early hours of the morning, usually a little setup on the side of the road, or in front of a shop which opens during they day. as teh name suggests not all are good, or perhaps will return on you the next day. but i have two favourite spots here in cali, one which sells a mexican burger (loaded with jalepeños). as a rule they have either beef or chicken (or both) tomato, cheese, sauces, crushed crisps, pinapple (i request none).

BANDEJA PAISA

translates as paisa plate. paisa is a region in colombia, and it is a big plate of food containing the following:

chorizo, rice, avocado, mince, beans, chicharron, fried egg, arepa (flat corn bread) + patacones (fried green platanin)

PLANTANO VERDE

or green platanin. it is a variety of banana and looks identical to the common banana (which apparently is actually a 'dessert banana') but is larger. it can be eaten green or later on when it is riper (maduro) however i like it green. unlike the dessert banana it needs to be cooked in some manner, best is fried. fried it is similar, i guess, to potato fries or fried taro.

no doubt there are more but i cant think of anything at the moment! hopefully some i will be able to find back home (platano i am sure...) otherwise i will just have to wait til i come back!