What’s better after a hard drive over the hills around Medellín than a glass of cold tamarind juice and a basket of buñuelos, the Colombian equivalent of a donut—or fritter. These are made with cheese, and are just the savory treat to complement the sweet-sour tang of tamarind. Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), a tree native to Africa, produces a long, brown leguminous fruit whose pulp is used in many ethnic cuisines. It makes a superb thirst quencher.
Buñuelos are absolutely fantastic, but have you tried almojabanas? They are made with a similar yucca starch and cheese mixture, but are baked rather than fried. They are also my absolute favorite food in the whole world.
You simply cannot leave Colombia without eating an almojabana. It would be a crime unto humanity to do so.
I really recommend the almojabana. It’s delicious!
In Asia the slightly unripe tamarind is boiled until it goes all squishy then mashed by hand and the juice extracted and used to make sour soups. The ripe fruit is used for all sorts of things too, ranging from cooking to candies or simply eaten as is (well, avoiding the skin and the stone of course).
Man, I am so jealous. All I’ve got is the same stuff 5 times a week at the school cafeteria.
Great idea! I keep a jar of tamarind concentrate around and spoon it into everything. I’d never thought of using it as a sort of lemonade. But now I will.
But have you met the trim-coiffed goddess yet?
Hey Jerry, some things you should try before leaving Colombia: arroz con leche, natilla, almojábana, arepa de chócolo, arepa de queso, salpicón…
Daniel could explain to you what they consist on…
All the best in your last days here!