Arroz sofrito
Fried rice with achiote, prawns, fish and air dried beef
- Where the photo is from
- La Casa del Alimento
- Tasted
- in September 2026
A European wants to call it risotto or paella and it is neither.
The rice is loose, not creamy, so risotto it is not. The colour and the base of the flavour come not from saffron but from achiote, annatto seed, used across Latin America, which gives an orange colour and a mildly earthy taste. So not paella either.
On the plate are prawns, pieces of fish, peas, plantain and carne oreada, air dried beef, which at La Casa del Alimento hangs on a line in the yard. On top, grated queso costeño, the salty coastal cheese that does not melt away.
That combination of seafood with dried beef on one plate is exactly the piece of Colombian cooking that cannot be derived from anything I know from home. And it works.
Praktická poznámkaOn the set lunch menu it is item number six and the price includes the starter, dessert and coffee. Ordering anything else with it is pointless.
