Colombian food vocabulary - Some basics

Arepas are mostly known as corn cakes made out of corn dough or precooked corn flour in a flat circular shape, similar to a pancake. It can be cooked on a grill, fried, or roasted.

It’s a thick sauce made of avocadoes, salt and/or lemon juice. Some people like to add chopped tomatoes, onions and spices as well. We usually eat it with arepas or patacones.

It’s a thick sauce, a sauté of chopped onions and tomatoes with salt and vegetal oil. We love to eat it with arepas or patacones.

Fried plantain slices usually served with hogao, guacamole or on the side of a larger dish.

Patacón (singular) – Patacones (plural)

A flat, round, unleavened patty made from fresh corn that gives it a sweeter taste than the regular arepa. It can be cooked by grilling, baking, frying, boiling, or steaming it. We usually eat it with fresh cheese.

Arepa de chócolo/choclo (singular) – Arepas de chócolo/choclo (plural)