3-Day Colombia
Itinerary

Ajiaco

Bogotá's defining soup — a thick, golden stew of three types of potato (creamy papa pastusa, waxy papa criolla and thickening papa sabanera), chicken and the herb guascas that gives it its uniquely earthy, hay-like fragrance; served with cream, capers and corn on the cob; a Bogotano's cure for altitude and cold alike.

Bandeja Paisa

Colombia's most formidable plate — a platter built to feed a coffee-region labourer: red kidney beans, white rice, chicharrón (fried pork rind), ground beef, chorizo, fried egg, sweet plantain, black pudding, avocado and an arepa; banned by no cardiologist who has tasted it; the Antioquia region's proudest export.

Arepas

Colombia's daily bread — a griddle-cooked patty of ground white or yellow corn masa, eaten plain, stuffed with cheese, egg or shredded beef; every region has its version: paper-thin in Bogotá, thick and cheesy in Antioquia, oversize in Tolima; consumed at every meal from breakfast to late night as both food and utensil.