January 20, 2009

Colombian Sugar Water

At Museo de la Cana (the sugar plantation museum) outside Cali, Colombia we sampled sugar water. It looked like muddy water, ladled from a puddle. But it tasted the opposite of swamp water. It was sweet, clear and cool, with a hint of tang from the fresh squirt of lemon juice. I prefer aguapanela -- which is unrefined sugar water with less sweetness. But this was refreshing and nice.

Posted by Cakehead at 02:27 AM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2009

Beer Bong Pitcher

On Saturday night, Donald and Carlos -- our hosts in Cali -- took us out on the town. We had dinner in a chichi part of town that reminded me of Santa Monica, California. The weather in New York is just below freezing, so dining outside in a thatch-roofed plaza was a real treat.

After dinner we weren't ready for bed, so we headed to a salsa bar. I ordered a beer, but what came was a tall glass tower and spigot that was far more beer than I could ever drink. Apparently, this is a common form to serve beer throughout South America. This quantity of beer is a guarantee for dance-o-phobes like myself to loosen up and even attempt to speak a little more Spanish. Luckily, I had some help with beer consumption.

Posted by Cakehead at 11:55 PM | Comments (2)

Food Court lunch

Cali Food Court

Today, we went to a Cali, Colombia food court for lunch. The idea was to give the large group that I'm with a wide variety of options from which to choose. I'm hungry for local cuisine and worried that my options would be limited to multi-national chains. But I soon realized that part of the cultural experience is not necessarily what I eat, but where I eat.

Throughout the city are numerous gated areas where where people can park their cars and walk, shop and interact without worrying about security problems. While I'd prefer to find a street vendor serving up freshly fried arepas, gated community dining is also part of the cultural experience. So, we hopped in our cars and drove to a secure parking area and then entered the food plaza.

In the food court the offerings ranged from Burger King, to a local fried chicken chain to a higher end steakhouse and salad bar. Everyone but me went to Lenos for steak. They each ordered Beefy -- a thick cut of tenderloin cooked medium rare and served with plantains and salad.

I chose a different route, opting for a booth serving up a variety of Colombian soups. I was grateful for the photo-based menu and after my attempt to order in Spanish failed, I pointed to the soup I wanted. What I received was a thick smoky soup made with three different Colombian beans, curling hominy corn kernels, cilantro and potatoes. Floating in the soup were a number of gelatinous cubes. I hoped the hunks were a veggie I've never tried, but everyone I was with sampled and confirmed it was pork fat.

The soup was delicious and I was glad to sample Colombia's lesser-known variety of beans. Coffee beans get all the attention, so I was glad to venture off the beaten bean path -- even if I had to go to a food court to do it.

My soup:

Posted by Cakehead at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)

Aguapanela: Sipping Sugar

cake of panela

We've been working hard, but Saturday night was the designated night off. We'd spent the day interviewing grocery store owners in the Cali slums. At one of the markets we stocked up on cakes of panela -- a solid round of unrefined sugar that's created from the boiling and evaporation of sugarcane juice. Colombia is the main producer of panela. They make about 1.4 million tons/year. In Colombia, the panela industry is an important source of employment with about 350.000 people working nearly 20,000 panela farms.

We decided to do what Colombians do and made a batch of aguapanela -- one of the most widely drunk beverages in Colombia.

To make it we filled a pitcher with tap water (yes, I decided to drink the water and so far, so good). Once the panela cake dissolves in the water, pour yourself a glass. It tastes like a lightly sweetened ice tea and was surprisingly less sweet than I expected. Notheless, I added lemon to sour it up.

Here's a photo essay, documenting our impatience with the speed that the panela dissolved:

Posted by Cakehead at 01:46 AM | Comments (0)

Borojo: Liquid Aphrodisiac

After my snack of chontaduro, the same vendor leaned down and took out a red and white thermos cooler from beneath her cart. She screwed off the lid and inside I saw a creamy soup that I presumed to be a fruit and milk blend. She ladled out a cup for me to try. It tasted like a milkshake of plums and vanilla and something earthy, sweet. It tasted thick and tropical. When I asked for the recipe I expected milk, sugar and vanilla to be listed. No, I was told. The sole ingredient was the Borojo fruit itself.

After two cup fulls, then came the warning. The drink is famous for being an aphrodisiac.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:27 AM | Comments (2)

Chontaduro: Cali butternut snacks

I was standing outside a distribution market in Cali, Colombia when i was approached by a woman wheeling her little stand of produce snacks. She peeled what looked like a maracuja fruit and handed it to me. The chontaduro took a little getting used to. I expected sweet flesh. Instead, it was starchy and tasted nutty like butternut squash. Now my taste buds knew what to expect. She handed me another round, offering me a bag of salt for dipping. The salt kicked up the flavor. I went back for another round. This time she squirted honey on the wedge she sliced for me. I preferred the salt and declare this my new favorite bar food. I just needed a Poker or Club Colombia beer to quench my thirst.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:14 AM | Comments (1)

Lulo Fruit Juice

One of the most wonderful things about being in a Colombia's tropical climate is fresh fruit juice is offered at breakfast lunch and dinner. The list of fruits available in liquid form is extensive. Of course there's strawberry, pineapple, mandarin, lemon, lime and they are fresh and delicious. But I've been trying to sample the fruits that are unique to Colombia. The lulo fruit has an orange skin and the internal flesh looks like a seedy green tomato. When I first tried lulo juice I didn't like it. I would later discover that the fruit used in my first lulo juices wasn't ripe. While there is a tartness to the fruit -- the juice tasted thin and sour.

But today, we ventured outside the city, past crumbling stucco warehouses, weaving by motos and cyclists. On the road through Valle del Cauca, smokestakes towered behind fields of sugar cane, blowing black wisps into the air. The land is flat like Ohio -- but sandwiched between two steep mountain ridges. It was smoggy in the morning, but the air cleared by the afternoon to reveal the Cordillera Occidental.

We went to a sugar plantation museum, then to the home of the 19th century Colombian author, Jorge Isaacs Ferrer. For lunch drink orders were placed at Los Guaduales restaurante. I decided to give the lulo juice another chance. Unlike the thin liquid served before, this juice was chunky and thick- as if avocado and green tomatoes where pulsed a few times in a blender. The green chunks were sweet and fleshly -- with the creamy consistency of avocado. The liquid was a little tart like rhubarb. And the seeds at the base of the glass, surprisingly seemed to disintegrate when they hit the mouth. I stirred with a long spoon, ladling out the tender cubes of fruit.

I know after I depart Colombia this is the drink I will crave from afar. It will be hard to resist the urge to smuggle some fruit home.

Posted by Cakehead at 12:27 AM | Comments (3)