Overview of The Traditional Colombian Dish Bandeja Paisa

One of the most popular dishes in Colombia is the Bandeja Paisa. Some popular nicknames that Bandeja Paisa has gotten over the years are a mountain platter, a marathon on a platter, and a feast on a platter. Bandeja Paisa is such a big part of Colombia that the national government of Colombia almost made it their national dish! One notable thing in my report is that there are lots of different foods in Bandeja Paisa. Also, many different cultures influenced the making of Bandeja Paisa. Some cultures that influenced Bandeja Paisa are Spanish, African, other European nationalities, and of course, Colombian.

An Introduction to the Classic Colombian Dish Bandeja Paisa

Bandeja Paisa is probably the most popular Colombian dish, originally from the Andean region of the country where the people are called Paisas. Bandeja Paisa is the regional dish from Antioquia. It is advisable to drink something soft with this dinner, like lemonade, water, or fruit juice. Bandeja Paisa was first made in Colombia and has been part of Colombia forever. Some popular nicknames that Bandeja Paisa has gotten over the years are a mountain platter, a marathon on a platter, and a feast on a platter. The origin of the Bandeja Paisa was influenced by several different cultures that inhabited Colombia throughout the centuries, including the indigenous peoples of Colombia, as well as colonial Spaniards and Africans.

In the 19th century, French and British colonialists also brought their cuisine with them. Bandeja Paisa was the perfect meal for peasants or workers who needed a protein-packed dish while working all day, climbing up the vast, mountainous terrain, and working on the farms. Traditionally, Bandeja Paisa includes beans, white rice, a piece of fried pork, Colombian-style powdered beef, a spicy Spanish pork sausage, fried egg, ripe plantain, avocado, and arepa, but you can substitute the powdered beef for grilled beef or pork. You should eat Bandeja Paisa while it is hot because that’s when it tastes the best. The best time to eat Bandeja Paisa is for lunch or dinner. But this combination of protein and carbohydrates is still popular today.

The Bandeja Paisa has about 940 calories, with 52% fat, 31% carbs, and 18% protein. The current form and presentation of the Paisa platter are relatively recent. There are no references in the food writing about this dish before 1950. It is probably an interpretation of the local restaurants of simpler peasant dishes. One of its most prominent features is the juxtaposition of Native American and European ingredients, which is also observed in other mestizo dishes of Latin American cuisine, such as Venezuelan pabellón criollo or Costa Rican Gallo Pinto.

Variations and Cultural Significance

A Paisa platter is traditionally served in a large, oval-shaped tray due to the amount of food that is served. Side dishes include mazamorra (a maize-derived beverage similar to atole) with milk and ground panela. Some Antioquian restaurants offer an "extended" bandeja paisa, also known as "seven types of meat platter", which contains grilled steak, grilled pork, and liver, along with the other ingredients. A diet-friendly version of the dish is very popular in Bogotá, which replaces pork with grilled chicken breast, black pudding with salad, and chorizo with a wiener.

In 2005, the Colombian government planned to make bandeja paisa the national dish, with the name changed to bandeja montañera, which translates to mountain tray in English, to avoid the exclusion of people outside the Paisa Region. A number of people opposed this designation, arguing that only a small percentage of the Colombian population consumes it on a regular basis. Nonetheless, the commercial Colombian tourism industry has pushed ahead without official government sanction by emblazoning ads, menus, and brochure information with imagery of the bandeja paisa as the single most typical Colombian dish.

Conclusion

That is my report on Bandeja Paisa, a Colombian dish. In conclusion, Bandeja Paisa is a very popular main dish from Colombia. It is eaten on a daily basis by people who live in the Antioquia region of Colombia, where everyone is called a Paisa. It is made with lots of other Colombian foods like an arepa. There are a lot of other types of Bandeja Paisa. Some have more meat than others. Some others have more of a diet-based Bandeja Paisa. Its cultural significance and rich history reflect the diverse influences that have shaped Colombian cuisine over the centuries.

References

García, J. (2020). Culinary Traditions of Colombia. Bogotá: Colombian Heritage Publishers.

Smith, L. (2019). "Exploring the Flavors of Colombia: A Focus on Bandeja Paisa". Journal of Latin American Food Studies, 14(2), 45-60.