Secrets of Colombian Cooking
An Interview with Colombian Cook & Author Patricia McCausland-Gallo
As with most countries around the world, Colombia's culinary repertoire isn't simply and quickly defined. Lucky for us, Patricia McCausland Gallo's cookbook makes it easy
Colombia's vast geographical landscapes and climate variations help determine what locals in various regions will eat- from the cooler Andean cities (think Colombian coffee and cacao) to the tropical Caribbean towns (lush fruits and seafood). This is precisely what makes Colombian food so varied, so delicious and frankly- outside of Latin America, so often untapped and undiscovered.
Thankfully, talented chefs and writers like tropical Barranquilla city’s own Patricia McCausland-Gallo is helping to change that with her book, “The Secrets of Colombian Cooking” (Published by Hippocrene Books Inc. in NYC, NY). The back sleeve encapsulates Patricia’s goal (she likes to go by her moniker Pachi), to present “the wide spectrum of Colombian cuisine to home cooks in more than 175 inviting recipes from simple, hearty sancochos (soups and stews prepared differently in every region) to more exotic fare such as Langosta al Coco (Lobster in Coconut Sauce) and Ají de Uchuvas (Yellow Gooseberry Sauce).” Pachi traveled the country’s highlands and lowlands to meet with mostly home cooks who shared their region’s best and years of hands-on wisdom in the kitchen. The results, as you can attest to once you try some of her recipes, are simply wonderful!
Without further ado, here is a recent interview Food Trends conducted with Pachi- Colombian to Colombian!
Food Trends (FT): How and why did you decide to write Secrets of Colombian Cooking?
Patricia McCausland-Gallo (PMG): I had recently moved from Colombia to live in Panama and turning 40 decided I could not start all over with my bakery business as I’d need to spend more time with my teenage daughters who would also be starting a new life in a new country. I then decided to write, which I can do at home. I started wanting to write about the food I liked most which is actually a mixture of Colombian cooking with fruit sauces and spices; more Caribbean, but at the same time my father kept telling me to make some videos of Colombian cooking for those of us living overseas. After some months of deciding it was first a book, then the videos, which are only this year’s project.
FT: Looking forward to the videos Pachi! As a fellow food writer, I find most people don't know much about Colombian food- did you also find this was the case?
PMG: Definitely, especially the children of expatriates who have little time to learn from their parents as they are working to get ahead.
FT: Absolutely- I fit that mould. What do you want people to know about Colombian food that they might not know?
PMG: I want people to know that it is very diverse as we have our territory bathed by the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, a landscape that includes the Guajira desert, the Andes Mountains, the Oriental Plains and the vast Amazon region. This makes our marketplace a very special and extensive one.
FT: My husband wants to know- the first thing many think of when they hear Latin American cooking is spicy food. But somehow Colombia is pretty much exempt from this. Why?
PMG: Our food is very tasty but not spicy at all. Most of our peppers are sweet and then some in the Andean region are spicy but they are served in sauces as a side so people can add them separately. We have a long list of what we call ¨ajíes¨, sauces that are prepared with a hot pepper that is very small, yet mixed with herbs, fruit and even peanuts. It is always served as a complement to food. Colombia is a country that had a great influx of Middle Eastern, African and Asian people, as well as Spanish, some French, German and English. This mixture has made our gastronomy very intense in flavor yet not hot or spicy from heat. Our dishes are full of onion, garlic, scallion, tomato, and our territory includes roots like turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and much more that spices up our food without necessarily making it hot. I’d say in the Caribbean coast we love to add sweets to our main meals, as is the case of fried sweet plantains, plantain cakes, yucca cakes, and more served as sides to beans, meats and fish.
READ MORE -- OUR INTERVIEW CONTINUES...
Note: Come back soon because the next posting or two will offer Food Trends readers some of Pachi's favourite recipes! Plus, you don't want to miss the continuation of Pachi's interview!
