Two of South Americas most popular fast foods are the Arepa and the Empanada and you can find them in nearly every place you visit in Colombia.

Day 248 – November 5th, 2014.

Arepas & Empanadas

In our calle (street) almost in front of the building we have an Arepa shop, it’s more like a factory as they make thousands of Arepas all day long. They open at around 8am and close most nights around 11pm and even later on Friday and Saturday.

Just up the road from them is a very busy Empanada shop, again it’s not really a shop it’s like a hole in the wall sort of place and they do a roaring trade just selling Empanadas.

Arepas in Colombia

They are both cheap products and will satisfy even the biggest hunger, just by having a good helping of your favourite. I prefer the Empanada over the Arepa, that is only my choice, you maybe different.

The Empanadas where we are have a filling of vegetables and come with a chilli dipping sauce and wedge of lime. They are deep-fried and slightly crunchy on the outside.

The Arepas here are cooked on a solid top with lots of butter. That makes both items quite greasy or buttery which I bet is the reason they are so popular.

On the Arepa you can have soft cheese or even chocolate sauce, they even sell them ready-made in packs to take home.

Have you tried Empanadas or Arepas? When you get to visit Colombia and even other countries in South America make sure to try them.