While walking in the center of Cali and I  had never tried chontaduro, peach palms, so I decided to get a bag of 1,000 COP. I was told to add honey and salt because the taste is better and it was. The best way to describe the taste is it resembles sweet potato, but it is more fibrous and also much smaller. I have to admit I did not enjoy it as much, but still it was good and also it gave me a lot of energy afterwards. In Cali, chontaduro is known to be an aphrodisiac and is thought to give the man more stamina. Of course none of this is scientifically proven, but a lot of people from Colombia believe this to be true.

A lot of people have heard of raspados, piraguas, or shaved iced, in Colombia they have something called a cholado. The cholado consists of shave iced, flavored syrup such as: passionfruit and raspberry, a fruit salad (bananas papayas, passionfruit, lulo, strawberries and apple) topped off with more fruit syrup, shaved coconut, condensed milk, chocolate (in some places), apple slices, and wafer cookies, lastly the one I would always get would come with a big ball of ice cream on top. This is my favorite dessert I tried during my trip because it refreshing, tart and sweet, and with an assortment of fruits so you would not feel like you were eating a dessert. Cholados are something served in Cali, Colombia year round because it is always warm/ hot, so if you are ever visiting I would totally recommend eating this “healthy” treat. Down below is a picture and also a link to a quick video from CaliTV. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eMRA2u6Tjc

The first time I had a buñuelo is in Colombia, even though this is a fried doughnut can be consumed in many parts of the world. Depending on where you get the buñuelo the size and fillings vary. The best one I tried was in Medellin, Colombia where paisas (people from Medellin) are known for their bakeries. I picked a random bakery in Medellin and had 2 buñuelos both filled one with chocolate and the other with arequipe. The best part was they were still warm and soft and they paired well with my guanabana (soursop) smoothie. The size of the  buñuelos in Medellin are the same as those from La Abundancia bakery, but the ones in Cali are slightly smaller and more dense. Buñuelos are typically consumed with coffee during breakfast but can be purchased at any time of the day. This is a traditional Colombian dessert, but even more so during the Christmas season.

During my 1 month vacation I tried a dessert called an oblea, depending on the price and preference cost between 3,000 Colombian pesos up to 5,500 Colombian pesos which is the equivalent to $1 USD up to $1.83 USD. My favorite oblea was from Palmetto Plaza Mall and it consisted of wafer, a layer of arequipe (dulce de leche), a layer of strawberry jam, shredded cheese and coconut flakes,a fluffy layer of whipped cream, and lastly topped off with another wafer. It the perfect contrast between crunchy and creamy as well as sweet and salty, it is one of the best desserts I had in Colombia and was one I would buy every change I had.

When I stayed in Cali, Colombia for a month I tried a popular drink, champús,that is only served in Cali and in no other region of Colombia..It consists of corn, panela, cloves, orange leaves, lulo (naranjilla) juice, pineapple chunks, and water. It was very refreshing and the taste does not resemble anything I have tasted before. The best way to describe the flavor would be tart with a touch of sweetness and goes great with a cheese filled corn arepa. This is a great midday snack and was one of the drinks I enjoyed the most. The total cost for champus and an arepa is 3,000 Colombian pesos which is $1 USD.