Boyacá Gastronomy

With so many thermal floors and a soil fertility that extends throughout its territory, Boyacá stands out for a rich gastronomy, the result of the multiplicity of vegetables and fruits produced by the land. Various meat-based preparations are also present at the table: chicken, beef, trout, and pork.

The cuisine is mainly peasant and highly traditional. The inhabitants of Boyacá eat heartily and generously offer their visitors the best of their cuisine from recipes that are passed down from one generation to the next.

The following dishes stand out:

• Soups such as the wheat, corn, and barley based cuchucos, also prepared with beef backbone and served with chili sauce, fish (trout) soup, mute (beef, vegetable, and potato soup), sopa de indios (meat and vegetable soup containing portions of a paste made from milk curd and flour and wrapped in cabbage leaves), mondongo (tripe, meat, and potato stew), and mazamorra (another corn, meat, and vegetable soup).
• Dishes, such as cocido boyacense and piquete ( thick meat and vegetable stews that include plantains, potatoes and tubers by the names of chuguas, cubios, and ibias), piquete (similar to the latter), braised goat, peasant hen, and trout.
• Fermented beverages, such as chicha, guarapo, masato (based on corn, rice, or fruit), and beer; and non-fermented ones, such as kumiss and agua de panela (a hot drink made from unrefined cane sugar).
• Pastries by the names of mantecada, polvorosas, bizcocho de cuca, colaciones, and torta de cuajada; and delicacies like arepas and quesos de hoja (leaf-wrapped fresh cheeses).