The Colombian gastronomic mix is ​​fantastic. The arrival of Spanish cows and pigs was key

Feeding ourselves is vital for a purely biological reason. Eat it’s a pleasure and, despite some aberrations that we are seeing recently on social networks, something that we should do to enjoy. Likewise, it is a way of sharing. Gastronomy has played a fundamental role in transmitting the culture of each society, being a manifestation of its history and traditions. I can venture to say that in all countries, eating is sharing (except in Sweden) and, definitely, it is something that applies to countries like Spain or all of Latin America.

In fact, the gastronomy of both territories has enriched each other and, in a recent conference by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, we can see how the arrival of the Spanish to the American continent influenced the diet of the inhabitants of the territory that, currently, It’s Colombia.

Territory. Blanca Ysabel Daza Martínez was in charge of giving the conference that explores this relationship between territories and, for the study, the researcher carried out a historical and anthropological methodology based on consultations with archives, libraries and field work. It covered 15 routes to delve deeper into local food traditions and see how the same dish can vary from one region to another.

The invariable corn. Something interesting to highlight is that corn was an essential food in the Colombian diet before the arrival of the Spanish, and it continued to be so after. It is something that, for example, also occurs in Mexico, where remains of offerings to the corn god have recently been discovered.

Daza Martínez commented that “after the arrival of the Spanish, typical foods changed or varied, but they continue to be consumed.” It refers to dishes such as chicha, sancocho, ajiaco, beans, cuchuco or tripe.

Spanish contributions. However, the arrival of the Spanish meant that they introduced foods from the old continent or other areas, but which were brought by the colonists. An example is asparagus, but also sugar cane, olives and chestnuts. More important, however, was the arrival of non-endemic animals, such as cows and pigs.

An example of typical Colombian dishes that, in one way or another, varied or were created after the arrival of new ingredients. Image | INAH talk

And resulting dishes. The arrival of these elements “gave rise to various typical dishes today, such as tamales, stuffed arepas, chorizos, blood sausages or chicharrones, among others,” says Daza Martínez. It was quite a cultural change and not only gave rise to the creation of some of the most famous dishes from many parts of Latin America, but also to new stews that arose thanks to the mixture of ingredients from the colonists and the natives.

There are several examples, the piglet being one of them. It is a stew made with pork stuffed with onion, potato, fresh herbs and spices that is not consumed anywhere in Spain or Europe, so it is a 100% typical dish of the region made thanks to that culinary mix. .

Gastronomic wealth. Of course, preparations such as those of tamales or that of the arepas They already existed in pre-Columbian times, but with the arrival of beef and pork, he assumed that those dishes would now be filled with new ingredients. And, in turn, the arepa ended up reaching Spain, with a strong presence in the Canary Islands.

Furthermore, on that trip through the Colombian regions, many of the traditional dishes have variations in their preparation depending on the area. In the end, as we say, this mixture of ingredients allowed the culture to be enriched, helping Spain, Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia, among others, to have enviable cuisines. In this link You can watch Ysabel’s conference, since it is extremely interesting.

Image | Maor X

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