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What to eat in Colombia? Top 8 Colombian Soups

Last update: Thu Feb 13 2025
Top 8 Colombian Soups
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01

Soup

SINCELEJO, Colombia
4.3
Mote de queso
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Mote de queso is a traditional soup originating from the Atlantic Coast area of the country. It's made with a combination of yam, salty and crumbly Costeño cheese, onions, garlic, scallions, tomatoes, cumin, and lime juice. There are many variations on the soup and most families have their own recipe.


Once cooked, the soup should have a creamy consistency, with small and tender yam chunks here and there. It's often served with fried plantains or tostones on the side.

MOST ICONIC Mote de queso

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02
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Served after most parties and also an ideal Sunday meal, sancocho is a Colombian chicken stew that can also be made with beef or pork. Originally from the El Valle region, it used to be made exclusively with hens. It is a hearty stew with the addition of potatoes, corn, and plantains.


Traditionally, white rice, spicy aji sauce, and avocado slices are served on the side. The thick broth is very satiating and could easily feed a whole family, and what's best is that it can be cooked in just one pot. Some like to top the dish with fresh coriander, onions, and a squeeze of lime juice in order to enhance the flavors even further. 

MOST ICONIC Sancocho Colombiano

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03
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Caldo de costilla is a beef soup from Colombia, namely its Andean region. The soup is a breakfast dish, made by boiling beef ribs with potato slices, onion, garlic, and cilantro leaves. Popularly nicknamed levantamuertos (lit. death’s awaker), due to the fact it’s an effective aid when dealing with a hangover, caldo de costilla is a perfect comfort food dish that is commonly eaten with a side of either arepas, bread, or rice.

MOST ICONIC Caldo de costilla

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04
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Ajiaco is the national dish of Colombia, a flavorful chicken and potato soup with the addition of herbs and corn. Considered a poor man's dish in the past, ajiaco must include three varieties of potatoes cooked together, abundant and inexpensive in Colombia.


It is best to use the local varieties of potatoes: the waxy sabanera, the tiny papas criollas and the soft pastusa. These varieties provide a thick and creamy texture of the final dish. Simmered in chicken or beef broth until they break down, the potatoes also provide a unique combination of flavors. 

MOST ICONIC Ajiaco

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05

Offal Soup

COLOMBIA and  4 more regions
3.7
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Sopa de mondongo is a term that is widely used all across Central and South America when referring to a hearty tripe and vegetable soup. The star of the dish is beef or pork tripe, the rather tough edible part of animal stomach which is cut into smaller pieces and cooked with other ingredients in a flavorful broth.


Different versions of the soup are found all across Latin America, where it has been adapted with locally available ingredients and spices. Typically, sopa de mondongo employs plain and sweet potatoes, cassava, corn, cabbage, plantains, onions, sliced avocado, and generous amounts of chopped cilantro, which is used as a garnish. 

MOST ICONIC Sopa de mondongo

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06
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Sopa de patacón is a Colombian soup made with smashed fried green plantains as the star ingredient. Apart from the plantains, the soup contains beef broth, oil, onions, bell peppers, scallions, garlic, cumin, and achiote. Before serving, this comforting soup is usually garnished with chopped cilantro.


It is recommended to serve it with white rice and diced avocado on the side.

MOST ICONIC Sopa de patacón

07

Soup

BOYACÁ DEPARTMENT, Colombia
2.9
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This traditional Colombian soup is typically served for breakfast. It consists of boiled water and milk, green onions, coriander, parsley, and an egg that is cracked into the liquid as it cooks. This soup is usually served with arepas or stale bread on the side, because in the past, it was used as a way to make stale bread edible.


Changua is especially beloved in the colder, mountainous parts of Colombia as it is traditionally consumed for breakfast to help the inhabitants warm up and start the day off with a hearty and nourishing meal. Nowadays, it is a popular dish throughout the country, especially on holidays and weekends, after a rough night out, because changua is said to be a great hangover cure.

08

Soup

BOYACÁ DEPARTMENT, Colombia
n/a
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Mazamorra chiquita is a traditional soup originating from the Boyacá department. Although the ingredients may vary, it's usually prepared with a combination of beef ribs, tripe, beans, onions, corn, garlic, pepper, cumin, and a few varieties of potatoes.


The soup is slowly simmered until the tripe and potatoes are very tender. Before serving, it's recommended to adjust the seasonings according to personal preferences. This hearty soup can be prepared at home or enjoyed on the streets, usually in thatched kiosks from which it's often sold.

MOST ICONIC Mazamorra chiquita

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Colombian Soups