The typical food of Cali It includes dishes such as sancocho de gallina, arroz atollado or marranitas vallunas. The recipes are influenced by the cultures that have lived there: indigenous people, Spanish conquerors and descendants of African slaves.
Santiago de Cali, official name of the city, is located in Colombia. It belongs to the department of Valle del Cauca and, by population, is the third most important town in the country.
Its foundation dates back to 1536, which makes it one of the oldest in all of America.
Cali is one of the cities in Colombia with the greatest gastronomic offer. The most common ingredients are pork, beef or chicken, and tubers such as cassava or potatoes. Maize, rice and plantain are also used a lot.
The 5 most popular typical dishes of Cali
1- Chicken stew
Unlike sancocho from other areas of Colombia, which is made with fish, pork or beef, the main ingredient of the Cali chicken is the chicken.
It is the dish most appreciated by the people of all Valle del Cauca, especially by those who inhabit the capital. It is very common in parties and celebrations that are organized in the area.
The end result is a thick soup in which, in addition to chicken, potatoes, green bananas, corn cobs and cassava are used, among other ingredients.
The use of herbs such as coriander, cumin and sweet pepper eventually gives it its characteristic flavor.
2- Atoll rice
Atoll rice is part of the Spanish gastronomic heritage, although local ingredients have been added.
As with other dishes, there are numerous variations with small differences in the ingredients.
The most traditional ones are pork ribs, chicken breast, bacon and sausage. Creole potato is also added, which ends up thickening the stew.
Sometimes, ripe bananas and peas are also added. It is usually accompanied with hogao sauce.
3- Valvines empanadas
This is another food that comes from the Spanish conquest, although the empanadas have an Arab origin.
The valleys have crossed the borders of the Valle del Cauca, and are currently found throughout Colombia.
The dough is made with a corn base, indigenous contribution to the recipe, and the normal filling is meat or chicken.
It is a meal that is taken at any time of day, since it is found in many corners of the city. In Cali they are usually accompanied with aji, guacamole or lemon.
4- Pandebono
There are numerous versions about the birth of this recipe, but the most likely place it at Hacienda el Bono.
There they copied an indigenous formula and added to the traditional bread fermented cassava starch, corn and cheese.
After mixing this dough with eggs, they are given their characteristic shape and baked. It is a very appreciated meal at the time of the snack or the breakfasts, being found every morning in the majority of the bakeries caleñas.
5- Manjar blanco valluno
The manjar blanco valluno is the most popular dessert in the whole city and its metropolitan area.
Its fame has grown so much that it is common to find it throughout Colombia, especially during Christmas. It is a meal of Arab origin that was taken to America during the Spanish conquest.
Its flavor is very similar to that of dulce de leche and it needs very few ingredients. The main ones are milk, panela, rice and cinnamon.
To prepare it you just have to cook all the elements until they reach the desired texture.
References
- Living Cali. Typical food of Cali: The most typical dishes. (September 5, 2016). Retrieved from viviendocali.com
- Carrillo, Liliana. Enjoy the Cali gastronomy!. (October 26, 2016). Retrieved from colombiatravelnow.com
- Invest Pacific. Gastronomy. Retrieved from investpacific.org
- Wikipedia. Chicken stew. Retrieved from es.wikipedia.org
- Dinho, Erica. Blancmange. Retrieved from mycolombianrecipes.com