GaStRoNoMy - PrInCiPaL fOoD

La arepa (cornmeal cake)

If there is a food that characterizes Medellin and Antioquia, it is the arepa. The traditional arepa is made with cooked corn, grated and mixed, without any more ingredients because is inspired and it tastes according to what you put in it. Usually you eat it with butter and salt, but you can also put in avocado, cheese, ground meat, etc.

There is so much variety of arepas as types of corn there are: white, yellow, oven made, corncob and, they come in different shapes, round, thin and, ball shaped. Not long ago, people used to make their own arepas at home, but now its manufacture is industrial and it can be found at stores and supermarkets. Its consumption is a must at breakfast but it can also be eaten with other meals.

Bandeja paisa

It is the typical dish by excellence. It can be found at many popular restaurants, but also at specialized elegant places. When it is complete, it includes: beans, rice, pork, ground meat, sausage, blood sausage, fried eggs, fried plantains, arepa, salad and avocado. It is served on a wooden or porcelain tray

El sancocho

It is a soup for home consumption, very popular around the country. In Medellin and Antioquia is prepared with pork or cow meat and, sometimes chicken. Large pieces of yucca, green plantain, carrots, potatoes, coriander and other seasonings are added to the kettle. It is served as an only dish and it is accompanied with arepa and salad.

Tamal antioqueño

The tamale is a national dish of Indian origin cooked in a plantain leaf. Each region prepares it differently. In Medellín and Antioquia is part of the home menu and, it can be found already prepared at the supermarkets and popular restaurants. It is made with corn mass, pork, cow and chicken meat, carrots, green peas and potatoes. The leaves in which it was cooked keep the food warm to take on a trip to be eaten later.

Mondongo

It is for house consumption but it can also be found at specialized restaurants. Medellín has several places of excellent quality that are visited by tourists. It is made with chopped potatoes, and small pieces of cow tripe. It is served with white rice, arepa, coriander, chili peppers, lemon, avocado and bananas.

La mazamorra

It is an after meal food, meaning, it is eaten after lunch or dinner. Its origin is mainly Indian and it is prepared with grains of cooked corn previously peeled, it is served hot or cold, depending on the particular taste, mixed with milk and accompanied with brown sugar, guava paste or some other sweet.

OuTsTaNdInG pErSoNaLiTiEs

Alvaro Uribe Vélez

President of Colombia for two consecutive periods since August 2002 until the year 2010, he was born in Medellin on July 4 of 1952, graduated from Law School at the University of Antioquia and did postgraduate studies in Administration and Conflict Management at the University of Harvard and Oxford respectively.
He has held different public offices, among them, Head of Patrimony at Empresas Públicas de Medellín, Mayor and Councilman of Medellin, Governor of Antioquia, and Senator. While in the Senate, he was recognized as a Star Senator, Best Senator and as the Senator with the best initiatives.

Belisario Betancur Cuartas

Was born in Amaga, Antioquia, on February 4 of 1923. He was president of Colombia and during his term in office, national and international literature and poetry were promoted.
He is an attorney by profession and a poetry lover, he holds a Honoris Causa Degree from the Universities of Colorado and Georgetown in Washington D.C. He writes opinion papers for several newspapers and has written books on education, economy, sociology and politics.
He was also the Labor Secretary, Ambassador of Colombia in Spain and a representative of Colombia in several Arab countries.

Héctor Abad Faciolince

One of the most representative Colombian writers; he was born in Medellín in 1958. He started to study medicine, philosophy and journalism but never finished, at present he works as translator and has a column in Revista Semana; jobs that he alternates with writing novels and literary critic. He has received several awards such as the Simon Bolivar Opinion Journalism Award, the National Story Telling Award and the Award to the Best Foreign Novel Award.



Manuel Uribe Ángel

He was known as the most important intellectual of his time, he was born in Envigado in September of 1822 and died in Medellin in 1904.
He studied ecology and became the first person to practice this profession in Colombia. He also studied medicine and geography; he was a scientist, writer and was a passionate student of Colombia’s history. He published several books, was governor of the State of Antioquia, senator and co founder of the Universidad de Antioquia and its School of Medicine.


José María Córdova

Recognized as the most important Antioqueñan General during the independence of Antioquia, he was born in Concepción, Antioquia the 8th of December of 1799 and died the 17th of October of 1829. His performance during the battle of Ayacucho helped Antioquia to become independent from Peru, the creation of Bolivia and the independence of South America, for these reasons he is known as “The Hero of Ayacucho”


Fernando Botero

Recognized as one of the greatest artists in the world, this Colombian painter awakens the admiration of the people who look at his work. Born in Medellín, city with which he maintains not only a sentimental bond but also is recurrent in the images of his work. Our city has the largest collection of his work, thanks to a donation that he gave with the purpose of supporting the arts and generate cultural and educational spaces in the community.
His paintings and sculptures adorn the downtown area at the Museum of Antioquia and the Sculpture Park, preserve the work of this plastic artist whose color and massive figures exhibit the reality of the world seen through eyes of an unprecedented creative artist. The world has seen how his exhibits have reached cities such as Venice, Rome, New York, Madrid and many others, generating opinion and transforming the social language through art.



Juanes

Paisa musician. who at an early age, found in music a way of expression. This singer, guitarist, producer and author of all the music and lyrics of all the themes he sings, creates his music with a variety of styles, sources and themes which are a mix of vallenato, country, tango, bolero Cuban son and rock, the result is the expression of his feelings which many times are dedicated to his
country and his roots.



María Luisa Calle

With a degree in Administration of Agricultural Companies, Maria Luisa realized that she wanted to dedicate her life to sports and, made her first contacts with mountain biking from where she moved to compete in track and route competitions. This 38 year old paisa has dedicated 12 years of her life to cycling, specializing in the modality of track individual persecution. This paisa has participated in different national and international events, Olympic competitions, world championships, and Central American and Bolivarian games obtaining numerous medals including the Gold medal at the World Bicycle Track Competition in Burdeaus, France. This perseverant cyclist has remained strong without caring for the difficulties brought by the demanding sport.

Santiago Botero

Santiago Botero had his first contact with a bicycle at 7 years of age. In the nineties, his enthusiasm for mountain biking led him to win the individual persecution, imposing a new national record which permitted him to begin a new series of triumphs and obtain success in the different races in which he participated. Among the most important victories in his career are the stages against the clock in the Cundinamarca Tour, the Tour of Chile in 1997 and, the second stage of the Mitsubishi Gran Prize in 1998. He obtained his first victory in a stage, in the Tour of France, wining also the recognition as the best mountain racer. He was also professional world champion in the race against the watch.

Sergio Fajardo Valderrama

He became mayor of the city of Medellin the 1st of January of 2004, after obtaining the highest voting registered in history for this office. This mathematician and Master of Science from the University of Los Andes (Bogota) also holds a PhD in mathematics with a minor in economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison U.S.A. He has participated in peace processes and lectured on the armed conflict in Colombia. He worked as a journalist and Associate Director of the newspaper El Colombiano and had an opinion column in the newspapers El Mundo, El Espectador and the magazine Dinero; he also worked in television programs such as Operación Ciudad of Telemedellin and Zanahoria of Teleantioquia, as well as radio talk shows like Viva FM of Caracol Radio. This mathematician committed with his city has initiated a great compromise of social transformation in which Medellín has moved from fear to happiness with perseverance and the diligent work of a leader and his team, convinced that through education and security, great changes and new leadership can be promoted.

OuR pEoPlE

The paisa, name given to the people of Medellin

Is a short name for paisano and it has become a figure of possibilities and resourcefulness recognized all over the country.

The pro activity, the ability to save money and a street wandering fame are some of the characteristics that have stayed in its people from long time ago. They are known for their hospitality and a taste for talking, even if sometimes they have to exaggerate their story to make it more vivid for those listening

This is how the paisa has made a name as the best negotiator and salesperson, which has resulted in large companies and trusted and safe business.

The paisa is friendly and in its life style he/she opens room for innovation integrating these two with familiarity and commitment with the future, which can be observed in an ever changing infrastructure that adapts to their every day needs.

The paisa women, with their recognized beauty, are still the heads of large families and transmit to their descendants all the Antioqueñan traditions.

HiStOrY oF mEdElLiN

HISTORY

Lying deep in the Valle de Aburrá, Medellin was founded in 1616 by Spanish explorer and conquistador Francisco Herrera y Campuzano.

The city’s name was changed from the original San Lorenzo de Aburrá to Villa de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Medellín in 1675 and subsequently granted city status in 1813.

Populated for the most part by Spanish settlers from the province of Extremadura, known for their work ethic and hardy lifestyles, Medellin, over the years became a major center for commerce and industry, particularly in textiles, making Medellin the fashion capital of South America.

In spite of Medellin’s best efforts to alter its image it has been a city in which death has been prevalent. Two of the more infamous deaths: In 1935 the renowned Argentine Tango artist Carlos Gardel was killed in an aircraft accident in the downtown airport. And in 1994 the Colombian soccer team’s defender Andres Escobar was gunned down in front of a nightclub as retribution for not blocking the ball that resulted in the national team’s elimination from that World Cup.

In a history that remains, unfortunately, too well known throughout the world, Medellin gained a justifiably terrible reputation in the 1980s and 1990s as the world capital of murder, kidnapping and crime. Pablo Escobar’s cartel and its rivals were responsible for countless deaths making the city one of the most dangerous on earth. In December 1993 this godfather of the international cocaine trade was hunted down and shot in his hometown of Medellin. In the years since, violence in the city has decreased considerably.

AbOuT mEdElLiN

Medellin is a valley surrounded
by green mountains

With a river that runs thru it and whose people are characterized by their warmth, their entrepreneurship and their happiness.

Medellin is a city of transformations, which went from fear to hope, that invites you to enjoy its traditions, its tourist platform and the warmth of its people.

Many cultures add up in this city, multiple experiences converge and different social groups live together with their dreams, their achievements and their desire to inhabit a better place.

Medellin is transforming towards a modern capital with spaces for citizens integration, where education, culture and respect are evidenced as part of a new scenery which foreign and natives adopt as their own.

A place with scenery that evokes the drive of a settler’s race, which with perseverance and tenacity was able to conquer the mountains and establish what today, is a growing industrial metropolis.

Medellin has the title of the second most important city in Colombia after Bogotá, its capital, and it is considered a commercial, industrial and technological development center in the country.

With a denoted leadership in the area of finances, banking, politics, arts, culture, communications, fashion, and entertainment, it is achieving an important role in Latin America and becoming a center for development not only for this continent but for the world as well.

It is important to highlight that this is the first city in Colombia to have an integrated transport system that runs through the city in its metropolitan area.

For all these reasons, it is the headquarters of organizations, institutions and regional, national and international companies and, for the last few years it has become a reference point for health tourism, convention tourism and sports tourism.

Among its people it is known as the City of Eternal Spring, The Silver Cup, The Mountain Capital, Botero City and Flower Capital; names that can be confirmed once you walk its streets and have contact with its people.