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, such as how to say egg whites and egg 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 “Paisas”, the people of Medellín, Colombia.

I could go on and on telling you about Medellin. 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 rule of billionaire former drug lord Pablo Escobar).

But today Medellín is a metropolis with high-rise buildings, beautiful spring weather, friendly people, 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 “breakfast paisa”.

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

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

The “eggs” are eggs. And the “huevos con aliños” consist of “huevos revueltos” (scrambled eggs) with “tomate y cebolla” (tomato and onion).

By the way, when I lived on the Colombian coast, in a city called Barranquilla, the term they used for scrambled eggs is “huevos pericos”.

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

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

A. Egg whites (egg whites, literally “whites of the egg”)

b. Egg yolk (egg yolk)

Going back to the typical “paisa breakfast”…

2. Corn arepa with butter — Corn arepa with butter. 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 soft.

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

5. “Salchicha” (sausage) or “Chorizo” (spicy sausage) or a slice of “Carne Asada” (grilled meat). And the grilled meat can be chosen between cow, pork or chicken.

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

In a restaurant, this “breakfast” costs about 6,000 or 7,000 Colombian pesos. About $3.00 or $3.50 US.

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

I think I’m one of the few people in Medellin who owns a toaster. And as always, my girlfriend didn’t eat the toast and cooked an arepa on a small grill on the stove and buttered it. ), and then she put a couple of slices of “quesito” (typical fresh white cheese from Medellín) on top of it.

I told him one day that I’m going to cook him a gringo-style “breakfast”:

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 get me started on how much I miss New York pizza or a Philly cheesesteak.