Latin American cuisine: a Colombian breakfast
Website design By BotEap.comIn 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.
Website design By BotEap.comAt 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.
Website design By BotEap.comI 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).
Website design By BotEap.comBut 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”.
Website design By BotEap.comBy 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”:
Website design By BotEap.com1. Eggs with dressings (also called “eggs with hogao”)
Website design By BotEap.com“Eggs” are eggs. And the “eggs with dressings” consist of “scrambled eggs” (scrambled eggs) with “tomato and onion” (tomato and onion).
Website design By BotEap.comBy 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.”
Website design By BotEap.comWhile 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”.
Website design By BotEap.comDO 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:
Website design By BotEap.comto. Egg whites (egg whites, literally “egg whites”)
Website design By BotEap.comB. Egg yolk
Website design By BotEap.comReturning to the typical “paisa breakfast” …
Website design By BotEap.com2. Butter Corn Arepa – Butter Corn Arepa. An arepa is a tortilla made from ground corn dough and is popular in both Colombia and Venezuela.
Website design By BotEap.com3. Quesito – a white cheese, very fresh and smooth.
Website design By BotEap.com4. Calentao: it is a mixture of the “frijoles” (beans) that were left over from the night before and the “rice” left over from the night before.
Website design By BotEap.com5. “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).
Website design By BotEap.com6. Café con leche (coffee with milk) or “chocolate” (hot chocolate) or “juice” (juice).
Website design By BotEap.comIn a restaurant, this “breakfast” (breakfast) costs around 6,000 or 7,000 Colombian pesos. Approximately $ 3.00 or $ 3.50 US
Website design By BotEap.comBy 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).
Website design By BotEap.comI think I am one of the few people in Medellín who has a toaster. And as usual, my “girlfriend” didn’t eat the “tostada” and she cooked an “arepa” on a little “grill” on the “stove” and covered it with “butter.” ), and then put a couple of slices of quesito (typical fresh white cheese from Medellín) on top.
Website design By BotEap.comOne day I told him that I was going to cook him a “breakfast” in the Gringo style:
Website design By BotEap.comBlueberry 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.