Flavors · Antioquia

Bandeja paisa

Hearty dish from the paisa region: red beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón (pork crackling), chorizo, fried egg, ripe plantain, arepa and avocado, served on a large platter. It is the dish most associated with Antioquia.

Traditional dish from Antioquia

Also known as: bandeja antioqueña

Updated October 2026

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Bandeja paisa — Antioquia, Colombia — Bandeja paisa

Bandeja paisa — Antioquia, Colombia

The bandeja paisa brings together on one large plate the foods of the Antioquian farm: cooked red beans, white rice, ground beef, chicharrón (pork crackling), chorizo, fried egg, fried ripe plantain, arepa and avocado. Many versions include blood sausage and salad. Beans are the base, and in many homes they are still cooked on a wood-fired stove.

Radio Nacional de Colombia calls it an emblem of Antioquia’s gastronomic heritage, a dish whose ingredients are produced in the region itself. It is linked to the hearty food of peasant farmers and of arrieros, the mule drivers who crossed the mountains carrying loads and needed energy for long journeys.

The name is more recent than the ingredients. According to Radio Nacional and a BBC Mundo report, it was given in the 1950s at a meeting of Colombia’s hotel and tourism association in Bogotá, which was compiling a list of typical dishes and called the Antioquian lunch known as ‘seco’ the bandeja paisa. Anthropologist Clara Grisales notes that, in homes of the region, the complete combination was never an everyday dish.

Even so, the bandeja became a symbol of paisa identity. In Medellín and towns in Antioquia, it appears on the menus of typical-food restaurants, almost always with mazamorra or a piece of panela to finish the meal.

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Where it comes from

Antioquia

Ingredients

Red beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón (pork crackling), chorizo, fried egg, ripe plantain, arepa and avocado; sometimes blood sausage and salad.

How it is eaten

On a large platter or plate, all together, for lunch. It is a generous portion; many people share it or order a half portion. It can be finished with mazamorra or panela.

When it is eaten

Lunch, at typical-food restaurants and at family gatherings.

Your questions

Questions about Bandeja paisa

What does the bandeja paisa include?

Red beans, rice, ground beef, chicharrón, chorizo, fried egg, ripe plantain, arepa and avocado. Many versions include blood sausage and salad.

Why is the dish called bandeja paisa?

Paisa is the name for inhabitants of Antioquia and the neighboring region. The name of the dish was given in the 1950s, according to Radio Nacional and BBC Mundo.

Is one bandeja paisa enough for one person?

It is an individual portion, but very generous. Many restaurants offer a half portion.

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