Latin American cuisine: a Colombian breakfast

In this article, I will talk about Colombian cuisine, specifically the breakfast eaten in Medellín, Colombia. You will also learn some useful words in Spanish, like how to say egg whites and yolks in Spanish.

At least once a month and sometimes twice a month, I will receive an email from a client who wants to know more about the culture of Colombia, especially about the “Paisas”, the people of Medellín, Colombia.

I could go on and on telling you about Medellín. Most people think of Medellín, Colombia, as the city that was once known to be the most dangerous city in the world (just 20 years ago, during the government of billionaire former drug lord Pablo Escobar).

But today Medellín is a metropolis with large high-rise buildings, beautiful spring weather, friendly people, a nightlife (which I enjoy even more than major US cities like New York, Washington, DC, and Atlanta), and , of course, a city with strikingly beautiful women everywhere. But in this email I will only talk about the “paisa breakfast”.

By the way, a typical breakfast in Colombia varies from one city to another. But this is a typical “breakfast” (breakfast) in Medellín or “paisa breakfast”:

1. Eggs with dressings (also called “eggs with hogao”)

“Eggs” are eggs. And the “eggs with dressings” consist of “scrambled eggs” (scrambled eggs) with “tomato and onion” (tomato and onion).

By the way, when I lived on the coast of Colombia, in a city called Barranquilla, the term they used for scrambled eggs was “parrot eggs.”

While we’re on the topic of “eggs”, here are a couple of words that English speakers often misspell in Spanish. On more than one occasion, I have heard native English speakers use a literal translation when referring to “egg whites”.

DO NOT call them “egg whites”. And when I started learning Spanish, I once called the yolk “the yellow of an egg” literally. Here are the correct words:

For. Egg whites (egg whites, literally “egg whites”)

B. Egg yolk

Returning to the typical “paisa breakfast” …

2. Butter Corn Arepa – Butter Corn Arepa. An arepa is a tortilla made from ground corn dough and is popular in both Colombia and Venezuela.

3. Quesito – a white cheese, very fresh and smooth.

4. Calentao: it is a mixture of the “frijoles” (beans) left over from the night before and the “rice” left over from the night before.

5. “Sausage” (sausage) or “Chorizo” (spicy sausage) or a slice of “Carne Asada” (grilled meat). And grilled meat can be a “beef, pork, or chicken” option (beef, pork, or chicken).

6. Café con leche (coffee with milk) or “chocolate” (hot chocolate) or “juice” (juice).

In a restaurant, this “breakfast” (breakfast) costs around 6,000 or 7,000 Colombian pesos. Approximately $ 3.00 or $ 3.50 US

By the way, this morning I cooked a typical “paisa breakfast” for myself and my “girlfriend”. As usual, I skipped the “arepa” and put a couple of slices of “pan” (bread) in the “tostador” (toaster) and made the “tostada” (toast).

I think I am one of the few people in Medellín who has a toaster. And as usual, my girlfriend didn’t eat the toast and she cooked an arepa on a small grill over the stove and covered it with butter. ), and then put a couple of slices of quesito (typical fresh white cheese from Medellín) on top.

One day I told him that I was going to cook him a “breakfast” in the Gringo style:

Blueberry pancakes or waffles or French toast with turkey bacon. A breakfast that I personally prefer to “paisa breakfast” any morning. Which explains why at least once a week I go to McDonalds here in the morning for pancakes dipped in “syrup” (syrup) and “butter” (butter). And don’t let me start with how much I miss New York pizza or a Philly cheese steak.

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