Gastronomy

Hormiga Culona 

This insect has become  symbol of Santander's gastronomy, which is attributed aphrodisiac benefits and is one of the snacks of this region that is exported to several countries, including Germany, England, Portugal, Canada and the United States.

This tradition has accompanied the people of Santander since the time of the Guanes Indians, who inherited this culinary custom, which begins every year in the waning moon, after Easter.

Bocadillo Veleño

It is prepared with guava pulp, sugar cane panela or refined sugar, which can be wrapped in bijao, corn or banana leaves.

Veleño bocadillo is the denomination of origin of a Colombian regional variant of the sweet. In Colombia, the municipality of Vélez, department of Santander, is considered the main manufacturing center due to the high production of both artisanal and industrial bocadillo and the large guava plantations in the region.

Oreada Meat

One of the great classics of Santander's food, a must in the "piquetes criollos" or in the typical breakfast restaurants of the region. The process of marinating, salting and drying in the sun, allows curing this meat, which our ancestors used to do in order to keep the meat without refrigeration, avoiding its decomposition.

Lamb

It is served fried, roasted or baked, and it it delicious. You can eat with arepa santadereana

Pepitoria 

It consists of goat's blood and entrails together with vegetables, rice, eggs, cheese and spices. Its traditional accompaniments are yucca, potatoes, arepas, patacones or avocado. Although the traditional one is rice, a few places have converted the recipe to a soup.

The most common way to enjoy pepitoria is as an accompaniment to roasted kid.

Arepa Santandereana

It is prepared with corn dough, which is roasted and served as an accompaniment to almost every meal.

Tamale Santadereano

The tamal santandereano is one of the most popular tamales in Colombia due to its exquisite flavor and of course the ingredients it contains. First of all, it must be said that this kind of tamale is prepared with chicken, pork (bacon), capers, chickpeas, onion, garlic, parsley, raisins and even paprika. Although the tamal santandereano has a certain resemblance to the tamal cucuteño, it is crucial to differentiate them by the way they are prepared and because vinegar is added to the first one.

Mute Soup

Mute santandereano is a delicious soup whose preparation is a slow food ritual and a gift to the most demanding palate. The mute santandereano has approximately 20 ingredients that are cooked together in the same pot, of which 4 to 6 are meats, depending on the recipe. Hence the term mute has been colloquially coined to mean agglomeration.