Bandeja Paisa

Bandeja paisa is the abundant signature platter of the Paisa region of Colombia. A single plate piles up red beans, white rice, ground beef, crispy pork belly (chicharrón), chorizo, a fried egg, sweet fried plantain, avocado and a small arepa.

More a spread than a single dish, it is designed to be hearty and filling — a celebration of the region's farming abundance served in one generous serving.

The dish grew out of the food of arrieros — the muleteers and farmers of Colombia's mountainous Antioquia — who needed calorie-dense meals for long days of physical labour. Its modern restaurant form took shape in the twentieth century.

Now a symbol of Paisa identity and Colombian cuisine abroad, its sheer size is part of the point: it is meant to be shared, photographed and marvelled at.