Top 6 Colombian Meat Dishes

Picada Colombiana is a traditional dish where a variety of grilled or fried meat and vegetables are served on a large platter. The dish is usually prepared on Sundays for family and friends or at various special occasions and celebrations, but it can also be found served as street food. Picada Colombiana typically includes papa criolla potatoes, pork, chicken, beef, morcilla blood sausages, longaniza, arepas, guacamole, sweet plantains, chunchullo (fried intestines), and envuelto (corn in husks). It is recommended to season this hearty dish with a squeeze of lime juice, as they usually do in Colombia.Expand

Lechona is a traditional dish consisting of a roasted pig stuffed with onions, peas, fresh herbs, and various spices. The pig is roasted for a long time until the meat is tender and succulent. The dish is usually prepared for celebrations and festivities since one lechona can produce as many as 100 servings. This unique Colombian delicacy can be found in numerous restaurants throughout the country's largest cities.Expand

Bandeja paisa, also known as bandeja de arriero, bandeja montanera and bandeja antioquena, is Colombia's national dish since 2005, a heavy, caloric meal traditionally served on a big, oval platter and intended to be eaten for lunch. Originally, the platter provided nutrition and energy to the farmers to keep them going for the whole day and there are a total of 13 ingredients used in the dish, including golden-fried chorizo sausages with lime, hogau sauce, cooked white rice, ground beef, plantain, arepa (a thin, fried corn cake), avocado, stewed red beans, fried pork belly, and a fried egg on top of it all. This behemoth of a dish is traditionally accompanied by a mazamorra – a milk-based drink that is served chilled and features smashed maize. Bandeja paisa is actually one of the highest protein-packed dishes on Earth and is especially popular in the Paisa region departments of Antioquia and a part of Valle del Cauca in Colombia. In 2005, when it became the national dish, it was suggested that the name gets changed to bandeja montanera in order to avoid the exclusion of people that are outside the Paisa region, which led to a huge public outcry. Regardless of the name, it is best to unbuckle your belt before having a go at this gigantic meal.Expand

Sobrebarriga is a popular Colombian dish that is typically made by slow-cooking a tough flank steak until it is so tender that it pulls apart easily, although it can also be prepared with meatballs, chicken, or fish. It is traditionally simmered in salsa criolla, consisting of tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin, and bell peppers. The dish is often served with rice, potatoes, and arepas on the side. It is recommended to garnish the stew with chopped coriander and avocado slices.Expand

Posta sudada is a traditional meat dish. It's prepared with a combination of beef eye of round roast, tomatoes, cumin, potatoes, cassava, beef stock, coriander, and aliños sauce – a seasoning paste consisting of peppers, onions, scallions, garlic, and cumin. The meat is boiled with other ingredients until both the vegetables and the meat become tender. Before serving, posta sudada is usually garnished with coriander, and the dish is then served over white rice.Expand

Chuzos are grilled meat skewers primarily found in Colombia, with its most prominent variations originating from the Caribbean coastal regions and the Andean highlands. The item consists of cubes or strips of protein, such as beef, pork, or chicken, threaded onto a wooden or metal stick. This culinary format emerged as a derivation of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern skewered meat techniques brought to the region by immigrants, which were then adapted to local livestock and fuel sources. Specifically, the use of charcoal or open-flame wood grills became the standard method for cooking these meats in outdoor and street-vending environments. Preparation involves marinating the meat in a blend of salt, garlic, cumin, and occasionally beer or citrus juice to tenderize the fibers before they are exposed to high-temperature grilling. During the cooking process, the exterior of the meat undergoes a Maillard reaction, resulting in a charred crust while the interior remains moist. A specific characteristic of the Colombian chuzo is the inclusion of a small piece of boiled potato or a piece of bollo, a cooked corn dough bun, placed at the tip of the skewer to prevent the meat from sliding off and to provide a neutral starch to balance the salted protein. Serving the chuzo is typically straightforward, often accompanied by a brush of local sauces like hogao, a savory tomato and onion reduction, or a spicy ají. The item is eaten primarily as a street food or a casual snack in urban centers and at roadside stalls throughout the country. It is also a fundamental component in the construction of chuzo desgranado, where the grilled meat is stripped from the stick and incorporated into a larger bowl of vegetables and cheese. Common beverage pairings for a chuzo include cold carbonated sodas, light lagers, or panela water with lime, which help to cleanse the palate of the smoke and fat from the grilled meat.Expand