Pereira's Table: Bandeja Paisa & Eje Cafetero Flavours
Pereira's food culture blends the Antioquian paisa tradition (bandeja paisa, frijoles, chicharrón) with the Coffee Region's fresh produce — the fruit variety, the excellent coffee, and the paisa heartiness make for one of Colombia's most satisfying regional tables
- 1
Bandeja Paisa in Pereira
Bandeja paisa – the definitive paisa meal of red beans, rice, chicharrón, chorizo, fried egg, arepa and avocado – is Pereira's standard restaurant offering; the paisa cultural tradition (of Antioquia, spreading to the coffee region) makes this the most popular weekday meal
- 2
Fresh tropical fruits
Pereira's altitude (1,411 m) and the surrounding cloud forest valleys produce an extraordinary variety of tropical fruits — maracuyá (passion fruit), mora (blackberry), lulo (naranjilla), guanábana and chontaduro are found in juices and desserts throughout the city
- 3
Chontaduro Palm Fruit
Chontaduro - the fruit of the peach palm, boiled and sold by street vendors - is a Pereira and Cali tradition; the orange, starchy fruit, dipped in honey or salt, is an acquired taste that locals consume as a daily snack
- 4
Sancocho de Gallina
Eje Cafetero sancocho de gallina - a slow-cooked free-range chicken stew with yuca, potatoes and plantain - is the regional Sunday meal; the quality of free-range chicken (criolla) in the coffee region, fed on corn and grass, gives the stew outstanding flavor
- 5
Arepa de Chócolo
Arepa de chócolo — made from fresh corn rather than dried masa — is the coffee region's most beloved breakfast bread; the sweet, fresh corn flavor contrasts with the cheese or butter inside; this arepa is Eje Cafetero's most distinctive food
- 6
Pereira Café Culture
Pereira's cafe culture is serious — the city's specialty cafes serve local beans roasted with precision; the café scene reflects the coffee region's new generation of producers who stop by to roast and serve their own coffee