Meats and Poultry

In general, we eat all the parts of chickens, cows, and pigs, for example in sausages such as butiffarras, chorizos, and rellenas. The organ meats we eat are found in dishes like pinchos de corazon y hígado de pollo, lengua de res, and sobrebarriga. This group of foods carries a wide variety of preparations. From sausages to tamales, cuy or guinea pigs to stuffed drunken turkey, we find succulent dishes that take us on a journey across the beautiful landscapes of Colombia.

Our cuts of beef are very different than those in the United States; the beef filet is one of the few cuts that is similar. We eat the organs, heart, liver, kidney, brain, tongue, tail, and tripe, as well as the rest of the beef; one of the favorite dishes is onioned liver. Children are given beef organs for their high iron contents and for their cheap price. If people can afford it, meat is eaten more than five times a week. We are a meat-loving population, and we usually season our meat for hours before taking it to the heat. It is rare to find a person placing a piece of meat on a pan without it being seasoned beforehand. Veal, lamb and goat are usually found in farms or in specialized markets. Veal is prepared in the Llanos area on wooden sticks arranged teepee-style over fire and is called ternera a la llanera. One-year-old calves are prepared in festive settings to feed thirty to forty people anxiously waiting and watching the whole preparation. Some restaurants do this in their entrances or patios to bring people into their places with the aroma and display it brings. Goat is stewed, roasted, prepared in sancochos, and in a special way called pepitoria, which includes the organs and the meat in the head of the animal and is served along the roasted goat. Leftover beef is reheated for breakfast with white rice and plantains.