Popayán, white and imposing
When they told me that my next destination was Colombia , I did not fit in my emotion. After spending a few days in the capital, Bogota , suffering a bit of "soroche" -altitude sickness- and touring the city from top to bottom, it was time to move on to the next destination: Popayan.
And what had I lost in Popayan? I did my research before arriving and saw that, for some time now, 16 years , there was a gastronomic congress that brought together the best chefs from the country. in such a city tiny ? Yes, and later he would find out why. Here is everything I learned and lived in my days in which they call 'the white city of Colombia'.
unforgettable streets
Popayan is connected to the rest of the country with a couple of daily flights from Bogota , aboard a ATR -yes, those airplanes with propellers and toy - and it is the capital of the valley -or department- of Cauca . Back in 1536 , the Spanish arrived and colonized it, subjugating the native and indigenous peoples who inhabited it.
With them came the Colonial architecture , which continues to this day. Unlike in many other cities of this type, here it was painted all in white with lime because of a epidemic caused by a parasite called "chigger ", which adhered to the feet of the indigenous. Of course, a good part of what we see today are not its original constructions: after suffering a devastating earthquake in 1983 , the city had to get its act together and return to rebuild Much of what was damaged.
Another thing that the Colombians in the area adopted from the Spanish, in addition to their architecture, was the Holy Week , which soon became one of the most famous from all over South America. Since 461 years , from Friday of Sorrows to Holy Saturday, the entire city shows its passion and tradition in a world-renowned Holy Week that breathes art, history and tradition.
Views over the reconstructed Popayan
Holy Week is, therefore, one of the things that have made Popayan . And the second? The gastronomy , especially since, in 2005, UNESCO named Popayán the first 'Food City' of the network of creative cities . Imagine what that meant. turned her into a model to follow , effectively contributed to giving new forms to his own progress, fostered the creativity of his cooks and chefs and enhanced the intangible cultural values of the kitchen, to turn them into powerful engines of economic development.
THE POPAYÁN GASTRONOMIC CONGRESS
Well, go with Popayan! It is for all these reasons that this year they have celebrated the **XVI edition of their Gastronomic Congress**, an event that has brought together interesting proposals and debates, like the conference proposed by the chef Sumito Estevez with his' 12 steps to create a country brand '. Or the interesting chat' Colombia, on the way to gastronomic power ', which brought together experts and the most interesting projects.
Among them was, for example, that of the chef and researcher Carlos Gaviria , which he has compiled in a book without equal the Colombian cooking techniques , with which he won the award for best cookbook at the ** Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2017 **, Jaime Rodríguez and Sebastián Pinzón from Caribbean Project , which are developing pop up events in the Colombian Caribbean area to promote its own gastronomy.
During the congress, there was a debate about the path that Colombia should take so that its cuisine would be recognized worldwide, as are the Peruvian and Mexican. And I wonder how at this point it is not? Its about second most biodiverse country in the world . On its borders there are all possible climates and landscapes , they have their own products ( what fruits! The 'lulo' will remain forever in my heart) and a way of cooking that cannot be compared to another... Let's put Colombia in the place you deserve !
THE GASTRONOMY OF POPAYAN
After much reflection on the culinary future of the country, we took the opportunity to learn more about what made this city so special: its own gastronomy.
pipian empanadas, Baudilia salpicon , carantanta, paila ice cream, shampoos , ironed, pipián tamales... It's probably the first time you've read something like this, but these are the typical foods of Popayan . The pipian is made from red potato from Cauca , with peanuts and achiote, and is eaten in small empanadas or in Tamales . The carantanta is a derivative of the manufacture of corn tortillas; once done, what's left stuck under of the utensil, it rises, it is fried and from there comes this delicious crispy which is accompanied by hogao, a tomato and onion sauce.
The "lulo", the richest fruit in Popayán
Many of its typical drinks are shared with the Department of Valle and Nariño , since, formerly, these territories were one. For example, the lulada, the shampoos and the salpicón of Baudilia , the latter the most famous, which was prepared with the ice that was lowered from the volcano by the indigenous people, who later scraped, mixed with blackberry from Castile, lulo and soursop. Today it is still important, and we could say that it is the ancestor of the valley cholados , a shaved ice drink, fruit and food coloring.
To discover everything that Popayan has to offer, arose RouteT , an operating agency that works hand in hand with different city institutions to offer the visitor gastronomic routes , from culinary tours of the city, to food experiences with the help of a "carrier of tradition", who runs a workshop on pie preparation. Most of the tours are done through the historical Center , where the cultural part is combined with gastronomy and its history.
The gastronomy of Popayan, also in the streets
RESTAURANTS WHERE TO ENJOY THE GASTRONOMY OF POPAYÁN
One of the places par excellence to eat all the tradition of Popayán is MoraCastile . It was born in 2010 as one of the references where to find real kitchen , homemade, with ancestral and typical recipes of the area.
It is imperative to test your pipian dumplings made with aged dough; the pipián tamale wrapped in roasted banana leaf; the carantanta with hogao; payanés salpicon; the lulada and the Eduardo Santos dessert . It arose when, at a banquet given in honor of President Eduardo Santos, they had to improvise a dessert based on milk cream, nuts and a mix of fruits . The president, of course, was delighted and hence it became one of the typical sweets of the area
The fruits of the land are an important part of the MoraCastilla cookbook
Tradition, yes. But a twist ? That's what they do in qaray , a modest restaurant two brothers that six years ago they invested everything they had to open their own establishment in Popayán. With mario holguin in front of the kitchen, they have managed to give new life to traditional cuisine of the area and take it further, providing it with a author's touch that ranges from dishes typical of the city and Cauca, to Caribbean influences from the Pacific.
Here you can try genuine creations such as chontanadas, the first dish invented by the chef, which consists of a chontaduro empanada , a typical fruit of the area. or like the duck chicken , in which two of the most important products of Popayán gastronomy meet, the pipián and the carantanta . The triple Pacific is also a delight, with t three preparations from the Caribbean area , of which his grandmother was mom Cecilia, and which consists of crab carimañola , a piangua ceviche -a black shell from the Pacific- and garlic shrimp. It all sounds -and tastes- delicious! And speaking of sonar: "qaray", in Quechua, means 'serve straight from the pot'.
Delicacies and novelty come together in Qaray
For its part, in Inca Land , the chef Pablo Guzman it started fusing Colombian cuisine with Peruvian , given his training for a time in Lima. But over time, he realized that all of South America used the same ingredients: plantains, cilantro, potatoes, corn ... But everyone did them differently, and that's how the magic of creating a restaurant with influences from everywhere of the southern cone. This multiple magic is especially evident in his trout ceviche , in beef presses or in male style fish.
Special mention deserves the work of the Workshop Schools of Colombia , organizations that were created to give opportunities to young people from conflict zones, guerrilla or drug trafficking and that they were established as peace tools . There they are taught a trade under the motto 'Learning by doing ', and in the Popayán school they are famous for their traditional cuisine restaurant.
A WALK THROUGH POPAYAN
A walk after so much binge ? The group of young people that make up ** Get up and go Colombia ** offers every day at 10:00 and 16:00. free tours through the city that depart from the Caldas Park tourist office. They will show you mythical buildings like the clock tower , the cathedral, the Humilladero bridge and the nose , an artificial elevation from which to see the entire city.
Y Where to sleep in Popayan? Here the best options are Royal Road Hotel , a construction of 1591 colonial style , which was the first center of education for women in New Grenada. The hotel, founded in 1982 , also has a restaurant in which to try local delicacies where, in addition, something will catch your attention: What is a photo of ** Martín Berasategui and David de Jorge** doing here? Yes, the Spaniards arrived here on a visit to the country.
Hotel Camino Real, accommodation with history
One more option to rest is the Hotel Dann Monasterio , another beauty of colonial type, with an impressive spanish courtyard and an outdoor pool. It was once a Franciscan monastery and College of Missions of Our Lady of Graces, until it became part of the heritage of the State and became a hotel. They say that there wanders a Franciscan friar headless until they found his mummy and gave him christian burial ... An accommodation not suitable for timid!