The 10 Typical Dishes of Caldas Más Sabrosos

The Typical dishes of Caldas Are the product of a mixture of culinary traditions of the native Aboriginal population that lived in the lands of Colombia.

In particular of the afrodescendientes that from the colonization were brought like slaves; And the Europeans, mainly Spaniards, who populated the region.

The incorporation and fusion of new ingredients, the use of new techniques in the processing and cooking of foods and the exchange of knowledges resulted in a rich and novel native Creole cuisine.

The food of Caldas is part of the tradition of gastronomy paisa, a geo-socioanthropological denomination with reference to the inhabitants of Antioquia, Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío, north of Tolima and north of Valle del Cauca. Their dishes are usually made with beans, sweets, calentaos, sancochos, tamales, arepas, parva de tienda (drunks, curds, cucas, reeds, tongues), among many others.

As for the geographical situation, the department of Caldas with 7,888 square kilometers and 989,000 inhabitants is one of the smallest in Colombia and is located in the heart of its Andean region, between the central and western ranges.

It is part of the region known as"Eje Cafetero", declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2011 because it is a living productive landscape, in which family work is mixed with the production processes, collection and marketing of coffee Of hillside or mountain.

The department of Caldas was named after the sage of Colombian independence Francisco José Caldas (Popayán, 1768 - Santafé de Bogotá, 1816).

It was also created in 1905 through a reform made by the then President of the Republic, Rafael Reyes Prieto, with territorial assignments that made Antioquia and Cauca. At that time it encompassed the present departments of Risaralda and Quindío, known as"El viejo Caldas"or"El gran Caldas".

Its capital is the city of Manizales, with about 400,000 inhabitants and its important populations are La Dorada, Riosucio, Villamaría, Chinchina, Salamina, Aguadas, Anserma, Neira, Palestina, Supía, Samana, Pennsylvania and Aranzazu, among others.

Colombian authors like Ordoñez Caicedo make a special mention to the Caldense population of Salamina. In general, according to him, the dishes of Caldés seem to have"an old culinary unease manifested in special dishes and magnificent salads, such as beets stuffed with hard boiled egg, which is a beautiful accompaniment to any good dish."

Here is a list of how to prepare some of the most characteristic and famous meals of this special gastronomy:

The typical dishes of the Food of Caldas

1- Hogao

First, chop the finely chopped onion And the tomato along with the lard. Add the water, salt to taste and a tablespoon of vinegar. Once the sauce is reduced you have the cooker ready. Ingredients:

• 2 slices of long onion
• 2 tomatoes
• ½ cup of lard
• ½ cup of water
• Salt
• Vinegar

2- Caldense cabbage salad

The mixture of cabbage , Avocado, carrot, onion, coriander , Sugar, salt, pepper and lemon in order to cool it properly. Just before serving, add the tomato and the oil, mixing well. Ingredients:

• ½ finely chopped cabbage
• 1 large peeled and grated carrot
• 3 finely chopped cilantro sprigs
• 1 grated headed onion
• 2 pint tomatoes diced
• 1 ripe avocado diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch of sugar
• ¼ cup oil
• 1 lemon
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

3- Nail Sancocho

First of all it is important to leave a pressure cooker for half an hour. Then the meat should be cooked along with the tomato, the chopped onion, the color, the coriander , Cumin, vinegar and salt. Once it is done let it cool.

In the meantime, the bananas that are chopped with the nail (characteristic of this recipe from which the name of the dish is derived) are added to the broth which continues to boil, so that they do not become black.

When they have softened, the cut potato is added in small boxes. Then boil for 60 minutes and add water if necessary. In parallel, grind the cold meat and cook again until dry. Finally the meat is added to the broth and served with ripe banana slices, rice, cabbage salad, homemade pickle and arepas.

• 3 pounds of shoulder or morrillo
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 slices of long onion
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon of color
• 3 potatoes
• 3 bananas viches
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of vinegar
• Coriander

4- Beets stuffed with egg

For one hour the Beets And then dried and peeled. A small hole is opened on one side and a teaspoon is extracted from the pulp. The bit of beet is preserved to cover the hole and then left in cold water for eight hours.

A later is changed the water from time to time so that they faint a little. In parallel, we dissolve the gelatin in water, add the parsley and put it in the refrigerator until it sets.

Very carefully, first fill each beet with two tablespoons of gelatin, hard boiled eggs and finally another two tablespoons of gelatin. Then they cover with the piece that was left when opening the hole.

Finally they are placed in a container and stored in the refrigerator for twelve hours. To serve, cut into slices, salted to taste and placed an olive ornament. Ingredients:

• 4 large beets
• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 2 envelopes of lemon flavored gelatin
• 1 cup hot water
• 6 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 6 green olives, without pepas, stuffed with red paprika, cut into slices.

5 - Beans

Soak Beans For twelve hours. They cook for twenty minutes from the pressure cooker starts to whistle, along with enough water to cover them, cumin, crushed garlic and salt.

When they are uncovered, add the chopped bananas with the nail so that they do not blacken and are allowed to soften. Then add the hogao, mix and let it simmer on a low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.

They are usually eaten at breakfast, in the soup or cold. As stirred, it is usually accompanied with green banana, as with potato, ripe banana, cider, cabbage or shucked corn. Its ingredients are:

• 1 pound of red beans (can be cejeño, cargamanto, red ball)
• 2 green bananas
• 1 garlic
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• Hogao (see recipe)

6- Asorrete

In the first place with the meat, the bread, the cheese, the yolks, the baking powder, the salt and the pepper is made a homogeneous mass. Let stand for a while and extend with a roller.

Then wheels are pulled out with a helping hand. They are anointed with egg white, placed crossed bacon slices and a caper in the center. Then heat everything in the oven to 300 degrees Celsius and bake for twenty minutes. It consists of:

• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 1/2 pound grated white cheese
• 1 cup crumbs toasted bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 beaten egg yolks (just a little)
• 2 whipped egg whites (just a little)
• 1/4 pound of bacon, cut into strips
• Capers (one for each strip of bacon)

7- Tongue of res in coriander and thyme sauce. Tongue in sauce

For the sauce, all the ingredients are tender until softened. The tongue is beaten gently, washed well and for 45 minutes is cooked in a pressure cooker (150 minutes in a pot), along with beer, thyme , Garlic, salt and pepper.

Then, remove the tongue, peel and cut into slices. Stir the slices in a little oil and butter until they are browned and combine the league and the sauce in a deep frying pan to leave them on the fire for 10 or 15 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Among its ingredients include:

• 3 pounds tongue
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Medium well of beer or white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ tablespoon of garlic

The ingredients for the sauce are:

• 4 red tomatoes diced
• 1 onion, diced, diced, onions, long, chopped onion
• 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 bouillon cube
• Color
• Salt and pepper to taste.

8- Wine of oranges

To make this drink, the ingredients are mixed and sieved. The liquid is bottled and buried for at least two months. When digging up, the cachaza or foam is poured and served.

• 24 orange juice
• Sugar to taste
• 1 tablespoon bitter drops

9- La macana

First, cook all the ingredients together over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. It is served hot.

• 2 liters of milk
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 beaten buds
• 2 cups of crushed sweet biscuits
• 2 cups of sugar

10- Alfandoques

Between the desserts stands out this dish in which is spread a tray with butter and is covered with grated coconut. Bake until golden brown.

First the cooked pans are cooked, with water over medium heat until a thick coarse. Add the coconut and pour it into a small can with butter to cool slightly, not completely.

Still warm, it is hung from a forked wooden fork and begins to stretch with hands and arms until it whitens. Make thin strips that are cut with scissors to form sticks that we let dry. Before they are dried they can be dyed with vegetable colors.

• 2 black pots
• 1 cup of water
• ½ cup grated coconut in thick.

References

1. Ordoñez Caicedo, Carlos. Great book of Colombian cuisine. Ministry of Culture, 2012.
2. Gastronomy of Caldas, sinic.gov.com. Recovered on 02-02-2017
3. Caldas. Wikipedia.org. Recovered on 02-02-2017
4. Gastronomy of Colombia, en.wikipedia.org.
5. Colombian recipes, sites.google.com.
6. History of gastronomy in Colombia, historiacocina.com. Recovered on 02-02-2017
7. Recipe, somoscolombianos.com. Recovered on 02-02-2017
8. Recipe book. Kitchen33.com. Recovered on 02-02-2017
9. Recipe book. Colombia.travel. Recovered on 02-02-2017