Latin American Recipes Archives

Ajiaco – Colombian Chicken and Potatoe Stew

Ajiaco, a Colombian chicken and potatoe stew is my absolutely favorite soup or stew from Colombia. It is originally from the capital city Bogotá and is known by its full name “ajiaco bogotano or santafereño”. It is in fact so famous that it is often served during Christmas. If you are interested in Colombian Christmas traditions and recipes, check out this blog article. However, I had not attempted to make this delicious stew because I was under the impression that some important ingredients could not be found in Germany. For example the key herb galinsoga , I had checked everywhere and could not find it. But one reader pointed out to me that you don’t need it fresh, but that you can find it online once dried or that one Latin American store may even have it fresh in Munich. So when I finally got this herb and made the recipe here in Germany, it really tasted almost like in Colombia!

04/12/2025

Torta negra from Colombia and Venezuela

Torta negra from Colombia or Venezuela is the equivalent to German stollen, it is made a few weeks in advance. The cake can also be served fresh, however, it will develop more flavor over time. In Colombia and Venezuela the dried fruit soak in rum or wine for a year! Apparently it is common to use the preparation that was made a year before and immediately make a new batch, which is then going to be used in a year. Crazy, right? I didn’t do that, I soaked the dried fruit for a week and it was just as delicious. Torta negra has similarties with the British fruit cake. It is a heavy batter with dried fruits. However, unlike fruit cake from Britain, this one contains burnt sugar (quemado or dulce de panela), which has a slightly bitter caramel flavor. The dried fruits are local, so you may find mango, pineapple, and papaya. In addition, chopped nuts are a must. But just like British fruit cake, it is also soaked in alcohol, traditionally rum or wine, but you may also find wine. It is often served for weddings or birthdays. My husband’s grandfather, who was the baker of a Colombian village, made this cake often a month in advance for weddings.

28/11/2025

Pan de Muerto, Sweet Yeast Bread from Mexico

If my company decides to invite for a Mexican celebration of the “dia de los muertos”, so All Saint’s Day, I am in. The most important food in Mexico on this very special occasion? Pan de muerto, this is an enriched sweet yeast dough flavored with orange and anise seed. There are many varieties in Mexico. I volunteered that I would like to make this bread for the event. Because I enjoy baking and I like to try out new recipes from Latin America. So I started doing research, I even did a trial run and then I ended up making my beloved enriched yeast recipe, which I enriched with orange zest. Normally I should have also added anis seeds, but I don’t like the flavor. Feel free to add, I included the instructions below. So let’s get started.

18/11/2025

Alfajores Cordobeses from Argentinia

These sandwich cookies from Argentina are from the city Cordoba. They are named alfajores cordobeses in Spanish. They are characterized by a type of sugar cookie filled with quince paste or dulce de membrillo, which is then dunked in icing glaze. They are so delicious! Continue Reading…

07/11/2025

Coffee Flan from Colombia

Did you know that October 1 is international coffee day? I am currently hosting a blog event, which features blogger recipes containing coffee. For this special occasion I wanted to bring a recipe from Colombia: flan. Do you know flan? This is a custard originally from Spain, which has become very popular in all of Latin America. Obviously I already have a recipe for regular flan on my blog. This time I wanted to create great coffee flavor. So when I started consulting the Internet for recipes, I realized that almost all used instant coffee or espresso granules. I didn’t like that too much. I was extra happy when I found out that my Colombian cookbook creates the coffee flavor by making a coffee syrup first. This helps bring the coffee flavor to the front, but is not as bitter. Continue Reading…

01/10/2025

Tres Leches Cake from Mexico

Tres leches, or literally translated as three milks, is a famous cake from Mexico. I have been meaning to introduce it and never got round to it, but finally I am doing it now. Think of a sponge cake, which is soaked in three types of milk. The version I introduce below is with condensed milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream. By soaking the cake, it becomes extra moist. I liked the version that has one layer of whipping cream on the top, which is then sprinkled with cinnamon. If you like milk flavor with a touch of vanilla, this very soft cake is probably for you.

19/09/2025

Huevos Pericos – Colombian Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoe and Spring Onion

I will never forget the first time I was asked in a hotel in Colombia what I wanted for breakfast. I replied: “arepas“, a flatbread made from corn, which there are millions of variations of. The person looked at me in disgust, clearly, there were going to be arepas, duh, the question was how I wanted my eggs. Whether I wanted regular scrambled eggs, or scrambled eggs with sausage, or with tomatoes and spring onions, which is the “huevos pericos.” I had never tried this version and therefore asked for “huevos pericos.” Below I introduce you to the recipe and also outline how a typical breakfast in Colombia looks like and what is going to be served.

A typcial Colombian breakfast: arepa con queso with scrambled eggs and freshly pressed juice

Continue Reading…

12/09/2025

Colombian Arroz Paisa (Rice Stew)

“Arroz paisa” or “arroz antioqueño” comes from the region Antioquia in Colombia. It is related to the national dish bandeja paisa. The main difference between these two dishes is that in this case all ingredients are mixed together. Some components are also missing here, but I believe this dish is just as delicious. Arroz paisa contains fried meat, yellow plantain that is also fried, and the sauce named “hogao” or “guiso”. For this sauce you will fry onions with tomatoe and use some typical herbs. The dish is rounded off with rice, black beans, avocado, and lots and lots of cilantro.
Continue Reading…

29/08/2025

Creamy Passion Fruit Ice Cream

Due to the request of my hubby today you will get creamy passion fruit ice cream. It is made with a custard, which contains egg yolks, cream, and milk. You will need an ice cream machine for this ice cream. You will be rewarded an extremely refreshing ice cream with a distinct passion fruit flavor. We have made it several times this summer. Even though I don’t like ice cream too much (I know, I am weird), I have to say, this one is different. Even I ate my fair share of it. So if you have an ice cream machine and want to make ice cream the classic way, let’s get going, this is so delicious!

15/08/2025

Pasteles Gloria from Colombia

Have you ever heard of pasteles Gloria from Colombia? These are not to be confused with the ones from Spain, which contain marzipan. One distiction is that the Spanish ones are called pasteles DE Gloria. The Colombian ones are made with puff pastry, quince paste (originally with guava), and mozzarella. Often the caramel spread named arequipe is also added. Mozzarella combined with jam is very popular in all of Latin America. These turnovers aka empanadas with quince paste and mozzarella are just one example. I am going to make the puff pastry myself. I recently found out that bought puff pastry often contains palm oil instead of butter. This also explains why the first time around they didn’t taste very nice as I used store-bought. Instead we are going to do it ourselves, trust me, they will be amazing!

01/08/2025

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