Who doesn’t like a little something sweet after a good meal? Desserts are an important part of Colombian culture and are served in every household after lunch and dinner (of course with coffee!). Don’t be surprised if you hear someone say “I’ll stop eating now to save space for dessert”, that is because desserts in Colombia are amazing! If you are going to Colombia, don’t leave without trying these:
Meringue (Merengón): The Colombian meringue is a combination of exotic fruits, whipped cream meringue and custard. Due the wide range of fruits that the country has, this dessert can be eaten with different fruit combinations. Soursop and mango are amongst the most popular ones, along with strawberries and kiwi.
Obleas: This dessert is probably one of the most popular across the country. It consists of two wafers (think giant communion wafer) with caramel spread (known as arequipe in Colombia) in the middle. You will not only find Obleas in households and restaurants, but also on the streets with various combinations to the traditional version of only caramel spread. Vendors offer a wide range of other toppings such as cheese, blackberry and pineapple jam, condensed milk, and coconut.
Figs with Arequipe: This is a simple but flavourful dessert. Arequipe, mentioned above, is prepared by slowly heating milk and sugar while stirring non-stop. In Colombia, arequipe is very popular and it is used to prepare many other desserts. The combination between figs and arequipe is sweet, smooth and balanced.
To make this dessert even better, some people serve it with a slide of fresh white cheese on the side, to cut the sweetness a bit.
Guava paste with cheese: cheese is used in many desserts in Colombia to balance out the sweet taste. As with arequipe, cheese is also paired up with guava paste. These desserts are usually eaten cold, but you can also try them hot, with melted cheese.
Three milk cake or
Tres Leches cake: This dessert consists of a vanilla cake dunked in three types of milk: sweetened condensed milk, regular milk and heavy cream. The top of the cake comes with fruits such as strawberries, cherries or mangoes. The cake is so soft that it literally melts in your mouth.
