Aguacate

Forget what you know from the supermarket at home.

The Colombian avocado sold at the markets is a different variety from the dark, bumpy Hass. It is big, sometimes the size of two fists, with a smooth, glossy, thin green skin. People call it criollo, papelillo or lorena depending on the region and on who you ask.

It tastes different and you notice on the first spoonful. Hass is dense and nutty, almost like butter. This one is more watery, less creamy and sweeter. For guacamole the Hass is better, but guacamole is not much of a thing here: the avocado gets sliced and put next to the food, into the soup, onto the rice, into the salad, basically everywhere.

It arrives with lunch as naturally as bread does at home, and nobody charges you for it.