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    My Colombian Recipes » All-Time Favorites » 10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must Try

    10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must Try

    Jul 9, 2014 · Modified: Oct 6, 2021 by Erica Dinho · 47 Comments

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    10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must TryPin

    Colombian food is very diverse, each region of the country having its own characteristic dishes. This wonderful cuisine offers dishes that have been handed down from generation to generation, influenced by not only indigenous Colombian culture, but Spanish, African and Arab cultures as well. Colombian food is versatile, rich, full of flavor, colorful and comforting.

    I know this not a comprehensive list, and I know that I've missed a lot of great and popular main dishes, but I had to pick my top 10 for this post. However, please post a comment with your favorite traditional Colombian main dish to share with everyone! I didn't include soups in this list because I already have a post on the site titled "10 Must Try Traditional Colombian Soups".

    Here is my list of the top “10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must Try”. Try one or try them all and bring a taste of my beautiful country to your home. Buen provecho!

    1. Bandeja Paisa: This platter is probably the most popular Colombian dish, originally from the Andean region of the country where the people are called “Paisas” and the area where I was born and raised. See recipe here.

    10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must TryPin

    2. Tamales: There are many variations of tamales in Colombia, but they all have something in common and that is that Colombian Tamales are all wrapped in banana leaves. See recipe here.

    Colombian FoodPin

    3. Sudado de Pollo: This chicken stew is one of the most popular dishes in Colombian homes. It's delicious served with white rice on the side which soaks up the flavorful sauce. See recipe here.

    10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must TryPin

    4. Pescado Frito: This Colombian-Style Fried Whole Fish is a very popular dish from the coast of Colombia. Some of the most popular fish in Colombia used to make this dish are: red snapper, mojarra and tilapia. See recipe here.

    10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must TryPin

    5. Chuleta Valluna: This pork milanese is one of the most popular dishes in Colombian Restaurants. This Chuleta Valluna is a traditional dish from El Valle department of Colombia. See recipe here.

    10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must TryPin

    6. Lechona Tolimense: This is a traditional dish, originally from the Tolima department of Colombia and is often served on special occasions. This popular dish consists of a whole pork stuffed with rice, peas, potatoes and spices, cooked in a brick oven for about ten to twelve hours. See recipe here.

    10 Traditional Colombian Main Dishes You Must TryPin

    7. Arroz con Pollo: This was one of my favorite dishes growing up. My mom would make it at least once per week for lunch. Rice with chicken is one of the most popular dishes in Colombia and South America, but every country has their own variation. See recipe here.

    Colombian FoodPin

    8. Bistec a Caballo: This is a very simple and flavorful dish. It is basically a piece of steak with a tomato and onion sauce, topped with a fried egg. See recipe here.

    Colombian FoodPin

    9. Arroz Atollado: This is a typical rice and pork dish from the Colombian region " Valle del Cauca". It's perfect to feed a crowd. See recipe here.

    Colombian FoodPin

    10. Puchero Santafereño: This dish is named after Santa Fé de Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. Puchero is a dish that originated in Spain, as is the case with many other Colombian dishes. Puchero Santafereño is a hearty and filling stew that usually includes beef, chicken, pork, plantain, yuca, potatoes, corn, chorizo, and cabbage. See recipe here.

    Other Posts You Might Like

    Slow Cooker Beef Stew With MushroomsChicken And Vegetable StewSopa De Letras Con Pollo (Alphabet And Chicken Soup)Lechona Tolimense (Colombian-Style Stuffed Pork)Arepa With Cheese, Chorizo And Chimichurri Sauce
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    About Erica Dinho

    My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

    Author Page →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alan Bowman

      July 09, 2014 at 2:55 pm

      For me the two favourites are Ajiacco Bogotano and Frijoles Antioqueño, followed closely by Trucha a la plancha Aquitania-style freshly caught in Laguna de Tota.

      OK Erica stop drooling.

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        April 06, 2017 at 5:16 pm

        sup

        Reply
      • juan cena

        January 04, 2018 at 8:46 pm

        thats gay

        Reply
        • Juan Cena's brother

          October 09, 2018 at 12:19 pm

          lol

          Reply
        • Anonymous

          January 28, 2019 at 2:25 pm

          why

          Reply
        • Juan Cenas sister

          January 20, 2022 at 12:27 pm

          Nice

          Reply
    2. ela@GrayApron

      July 09, 2014 at 3:09 pm

      All looking very good, but first, I'd like to try number 6!

      ela h.

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        May 10, 2016 at 3:11 am

        Hi

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          September 16, 2016 at 12:07 pm

          hola

          Reply
        • lacy meyers

          November 10, 2016 at 2:00 pm

          hi

          Reply
        • Anonymous

          May 20, 2021 at 5:56 am

          no

          Reply
      • jacklynn

        January 09, 2018 at 2:04 pm

        number 4 looks good

        Reply
    3. Angie@Angie's Recipes

      July 10, 2014 at 6:27 am

      I wish I could taste every single one!

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        March 20, 2017 at 5:39 pm

        me to!!!

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          April 17, 2017 at 2:04 pm

          *too

          Reply
          • Mike

            March 09, 2018 at 10:39 am

            *two

            Reply
          • Mike

            March 09, 2018 at 10:40 am

            Two

            Reply
          • Mike

            March 09, 2018 at 10:41 am

            *two

            Reply
        • Anonymous

          May 16, 2019 at 11:02 am

          I lov

          Reply
      • hannah

        March 23, 2018 at 9:28 am

        you can make it yourself.

        Reply
    4. Velva

      July 11, 2014 at 8:32 pm

      I would enjoy every one of these dishes!

      Velva

      Reply
    5. Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)

      July 13, 2014 at 3:04 pm

      Great list and it all looks wonderful. I can tell you right now that the first thing I'll be trying is the steak with the egg on top. Pinning this post.

      Reply
    6. Gabriela

      July 22, 2014 at 4:14 pm

      Estan buenisimas las recetas, gracias por compartir 🙂

      Reply
    7. leidis prejean

      May 13, 2015 at 12:15 pm

      Great list, I'm from cartagena, colombia. I can tell you that my personal favorites are bandeja paisa and of course pescado frito but like you love el Arroz con pollo, my mom used to make it all of the time for us.
      Thank you for this great list, makes me wanna go home to colombia! Lol

      Reply
    8. Peter Vrioni

      May 23, 2015 at 4:07 pm

      Well now you know why the Colombian people look so great! We are what we eat so, Eat Good!

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        March 02, 2017 at 4:05 pm

        ok

        Reply
    9. Phil Bowman

      June 12, 2015 at 3:24 pm

      Hello Erica,
      My wife and I retired to the northern part of Ecuador and there are many Colombians here, thus, a lot of Colombian food. Do you have a recipe to make Colombian Chorizo. It is much different than the chorizo in Ecuador. I find the chorizo here is just not quite the same in sancocho. One would think I could buy it here but that is not the case. Thank you in advance.

      Reply
      • Erica Dinho

        June 12, 2015 at 4:23 pm

        I will post a recipe soon!

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          March 15, 2016 at 10:06 am

          When?

          Reply
        • Anonymous

          May 10, 2017 at 12:48 am

          ok

          Reply
    10. Liz

      August 29, 2015 at 3:20 am

      Thank you so much for your post! My fiancé is Colombian and I'm trying to learn as much as I can about his heritage for him (and the sake of our future children). But right now I just want to surprise him by cooking him a traditional Colombian meal. Could you please recommend some dishes that would make up a dinner or point me in the direction of where to look (lol)? He was actually adopted into a German heritage family as a new born so there aren't any family recipes haha! As much or as little help as you would like to give will be extremely appreciated. Thank you for your time.

      Reply
    11. Kisoulou

      November 12, 2015 at 4:38 am

      These Colombian Dishes sound good. I particularly like those with banana. Really inspired
      Thank you !

      Reply
    12. honey

      March 11, 2016 at 10:28 am

      I think these dishes sound fabulous like totally they sound amazing if I ever go to Colombia i'm going to try all of them THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP!!!!!

      Reply
    13. Anonymous

      April 12, 2016 at 1:42 pm

      freakin delicious food if u ask me

      Reply
    14. Anonymous

      April 18, 2016 at 8:18 pm

      Great list of food , but I want to try the puchero santafereno sounds interesting.

      Reply
    15. Ruby

      May 30, 2016 at 3:24 pm

      Because there are several variations, you didn't give a recipe for Aroz Con Pollo? Or did I miss something?

      Reply
    16. jeremiah

      February 06, 2017 at 9:00 am

      My comment is that all those food looks so dilishis that I want to go to colombia.

      Reply
      • Meh

        April 17, 2017 at 2:06 pm

        Delicious

        Reply
    17. anyounmas

      March 16, 2017 at 11:32 am

      this website is so good for a report on Colombia

      Reply
    18. Kafin

      June 17, 2017 at 12:12 am

      Hi - my boutfriend is a Colombian from Cali and I'd love to surprise him by making a meal based on dishes from his region. Are you able to give me a few dishes that would typically be eaten in Cali that I can make? Many thanks!

      Reply
    19. Amy

      April 12, 2018 at 7:22 pm

      Hello there, is there a link for the arroz con pollo? Thank you in advance.

      Reply
    20. Sumit

      May 11, 2019 at 6:43 am

      The different recipes of Colombia is very interesting. i would love to experience the very delicious looking Bandeja Paisa. Where in India can I find this dish I wonder. However , whenever I get a chance to visit Columbia I will definitely all these mouth-watering palatable dishes.

      Reply
    21. Dib

      January 25, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      Sudado de Pollo: This plate is just amazing and the instructions are correct. From now on it will be on the menu every week here in Belgium.

      Reply
    22. Richard Tunner

      December 23, 2020 at 11:33 pm

      Just WOW! Thanks for your sharing!

      Reply
    23. Susan Dubose

      January 06, 2021 at 2:24 am

      This is a great recipe list. Love your post!

      Reply
    24. Monica from Bestconsumerratings

      August 26, 2021 at 8:53 am

      Your site looks awesome, thank you for sharing the great recipe list.

      Reply
    25. Eric

      November 15, 2022 at 9:50 pm

      iBandeja Paisa es lo mejor!

      Reply

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    Erica Dinho Author | My Colombian Recipes

    Hola and welcome to My Colombian Recipes. My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

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