Popayán: Colombia's UNESCO City of Gastronomy
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Popayán: Colombia's UNESCO City of Gastronomy

Popayán was the first Colombian city designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy (2005); the city's 500-year-old culinary tradition — blending indigenous Páez, African, and Spanish cooking — creates a cuisine of extraordinary depth and originality

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    Pipián sauce

    Pipián — a sauce of roasted pumpkin seeds, spices and dried chiles — is Popayán's most distinctive culinary contribution; the sauce, originating in Páez, is used with rabbit (pipián de conejo), eggs and vegetables; the roasted seed richness is unlike any other Colombian preparation

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    Empanadas de Pipián

    Popayán empanada - a corn empanada filled with potatoes and pipián sauce - is the city's most distinctive street food; the corn casing (different from wheat empanadas in other regions), the pipián filling, and the accompanying ají sauce are all Popayán-specific

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    Champú's corn drink

    Champús — a fermented corn drink with lulo fruit, panela and spices — is Popayán's traditional festival drink; the slightly carbonated, sweet and sour drink is made for Holy Week and other celebrations; it is one of the most distinctive drinks in Colombian food culture

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    Sopa de Maní

    The peanut soup (sopa de maní) - a thick, rich soup of roasted peanuts cooked with potatoes, corn and spices - is one of Popayán's most beloved daily dishes; The transformation of the indigenous peanut into a soup base reflects the deep indigenous culinary tradition of the Cauca Valley

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    Caucano Gastronomic Festival

    Popayán's Gastronomic Congress – held annually in September – is Colombia's most important food event; the congress brings together Colombian and international chefs to celebrate regional food traditions; The Popayán Festival has been a model for the development of culinary tourism

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    UNESCO Gastronomy Network

    Popayán's UNESCO City of Gastronomy status links it to a network of creative cities around food - Chengdu, Belém, Phuket and others; the designation has supported Popayán's food tourism, the documentation of its culinary heritage and international promotion

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