Colombian food reflects the country’s cultural and geographical variety. Here are twenty of its most famous dishes and what goes into them.

1. Bandeja paisa

A hearty plate from the Andean region: rice, beans, ground meat, plantain, avocado, an arepa, and a fried egg. Popular across the whole country.

Authentic Colombian bandeja paisa with beans, rice, chicharrón, chorizo, fried egg and avocado

Make it at home with our bandeja paisa recipe.

2. Ajiaco

A traditional soup of chicken, potatoes, and corn, flavored with cilantro and guascas, a herb native to the Andes. Usually served with capers, avocado, and cream.

Colombian ajiaco soup with chicken, corn and potatoes, served with rice and avocado

Make it at home with our ajiaco recipe.

3. Sancocho

A hearty soup of meat, usually chicken or beef, with vegetables and roots like yuca and plantains. Often served with rice and ají, a spicy sauce.

Rustic Colombian chicken sancocho with yuca, plantain, corn and potato in broth

Make it at home with our chicken sancocho recipe.

4. Empanadas

Small fried or baked pastries filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables. A popular snack or appetizer.

Crispy fried Colombian empanadas with ají dipping sauce and lime

Make it at home with our empanadas recipe.

5. Arepas

Grilled or fried cornmeal cakes, often filled with cheese, meat, or avocado. A staple food, eaten as a snack or a full meal.

Golden griddled Colombian arepas, one split and buttered

Make it at home with our arepas recipe.

6. Lechona

A roasted pig stuffed with rice, peas, and spices, served at celebrations and special occasions.

Colombian lechona with crispy pork skin over a rice and pea filling

Make it at home with our lechona recipe.

7. Tamales

Cornmeal dough filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables, wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed or grilled.

Colombian tamal opened in its banana leaf showing corn masa, chicken and vegetables

Make it at home with our tamales recipe.

8. Ceviche

Raw fish or seafood marinated in citrus juice with onions and cilantro. A popular appetizer, often served with toasted corn or plantain chips.

Colombian shrimp ceviche in a glass with red onion, cilantro and crackers

Make it at home with our shrimp ceviche recipe.

9. Arroz con pollo

Chicken and rice seasoned with cumin, paprika, and other spices. Simple and popular everywhere.

Colombian arroz con pollo with shredded chicken, peas, carrots and cilantro

Make it at home with our arroz con pollo recipe.

10. Mondongo

A traditional soup of diced tripe and vegetables, seasoned with cumin and cilantro. Usually served with rice.

Colombian mondongo soup with tripe, potatoes, carrot and cilantro

Make it at home with our mondongo recipe.

11. Patacones con hogao

Crispy twice-fried green plantains served with hogao, the Colombian tomato and onion sauce. Eaten as a side, a snack or a whole meal, all over the country.

Crispy patacones, twice-fried green plantains, topped with Colombian hogao sauce

Make it at home with our patacones recipe.

12. Pescado frito con arroz con coco

A Caribbean coast classic: whole fried fish with coconut rice and patacones. Beach restaurants from Cartagena to Santa Marta serve little else, for good reason.

Colombian Caribbean plate of whole fried fish with coconut rice and patacones

Make it at home with our fried fish and coconut rice recipe.

13. Sobrebarriga en salsa criolla

Flank steak braised slowly until tender, then simmered in a tomato and onion criolla sauce. A Bogotá lunch staple, usually with rice and salted potatoes.

Colombian sobrebarriga, flank steak in tomato and onion criolla sauce

Make it at home with our sobrebarriga recipe.

14. Sudado de pollo

Chicken stew with potatoes and yuca, cooked gently in its own juices and a rich tomato base. One of the most common weeknight dinners in Colombia.

Colombian sudado de pollo, chicken stewed with potatoes in tomato sauce

Make it at home with our sudado de pollo recipe.

15. Cazuela de mariscos

A creamy seafood stew from the Caribbean coast: shrimp, fish, calamari and mussels in a coconut and cream broth. Restaurant food that works at home.

Colombian cazuela de mariscos, creamy seafood stew with shrimp and mussels

Make it at home with our cazuela de mariscos recipe.

16. Mote de queso

A Caribbean soup of white yam cooked until creamy, with chunks of salty queso costeño and a squeeze of lime. Humble ingredients, surprising depth.

Colombian mote de queso, creamy yam soup with cubes of queso costeño

Make it at home with our mote de queso recipe.

17. Arepa de huevo

A fried corn arepa with a whole egg cooked inside, typical of the Caribbean coast. The best street breakfast in the country.

Colombian arepa de huevo, fried corn arepa with a whole egg cooked inside

Make it at home with our arepa de huevo recipe.

18. Pandebono

Small, soft cheese breads from Valle del Cauca, naturally gluten-free thanks to cassava starch. Best eaten warm, by the handful.

Colombian pandebono cheese breads, golden and soft, fresh from the oven

Make it at home with our pandebono recipe.

19. Buñuelos

Golden, round cheese fritters with a soft middle, fried low and slow. A Christmas tradition eaten happily all year.

Golden round Colombian buñuelos, fried cheese fritters

Make it at home with our buñuelos recipe.

20. Obleas con arequipe

Thin crisp wafers filled with arequipe, Colombia’s dulce de leche, sometimes with cheese or jam on top. Street dessert at its simplest.

Colombian obleas, thin wafers filled with arequipe dulce de leche

Make it at home with our obleas recipe.

If you ever get the chance to visit Colombia, try as many of these as you can.