If you are a fruit lover you will love Bogotá! You’ll be surprised at the variety of fresh tropical and typical Colombian fruits you’ll find; you’ll want to try them all!
Colombia is a country with immense natural wealth and in the vastness of its territory, numerous varieties of fruits are cultivated with all the flavors of the tropics!
Bogotá is the perfect place to find fresh products from all over the country. This article will show you some fruits that you should try on your trip to the Colombian capital, including sweet and sour fruits that will fill your visit with flavor and color, and others that will be completely new to your palate.
Lulo
Lulo is a fruit that only grows in Central and South America. Its flavor is very special; it is somewhere between acidic and sweet, and it’s bright orange on the outside and green on the inside.
In Colombia it is eaten in many ways: you can try it by simply eating the fruit by itself (sometimes with sugar on top), or find it in desserts, juices, ice cream and other typical food and drinks that will surely take your breath away.
In a lot of restaurants in Bogotá you will find lulo juice, so do not hesitate to ask for it to accompany your meals, you will not regret it. You can also try it in a typical preparation called “lulada”, which is made with ice, sugar, lemon, and of course with the pulp of lulo. There is also a cocktail by the same name, “poisoned” with typical Colombian aguardiente, vodka or with gin.
Maracuyá
Like lulo, this is a typical fruit from South America. It is the fruit of a climbing plant, which grows in the warmer places of the continent. You may have heard it as Passion Fruit.
Its taste is something unique and quite acidic. It is yellow and green on the outside, and inside it’s yellow with black seeds. It is used to make desserts, ice creams, juices, and sauces.
A maracuyá juice at lunch will make your meal a magical moment, believe me. This is a fruit like no other; when you try it you will realize that you have never tasted anything with equal flavor.
Guayaba
The guayaba (guava in english) is the fruit of a variety of tropical trees, with a unique sweet flavor, it’s green on the outside, and pink inside, which gives it a quite exotic look.
In the country, it is one of the most appetizing fruits; all families consume it in one way or another. It is the fundamental element of one of the most emblematic Colombian typical sweets, the “bocadillo“, which is prepared with sugar cane, sometimes sweet milk and is traditionally packaged in leaves.
Guayaba is also a perfect natural remedy when you have stomach problems.
Feijoa
Feijoa is a typical tropical fruit. It is green on the outside and white on the inside, it has a pronounced aroma and a taste that you will only find in this fruit.
With this fruit, you can make drinks, jellies, jams, desserts, sweets. You’ll probably find that it tastes better in juices because that way, it can be sweetened a bit. It is acidic, very nutritious and with a slightly earthy flavor. If you eat it raw, it is eaten with the peel.
Carambola
Carambola is a really beautiful fruit and it is also delicious! It is a dark yellow on the inside and out, and its shape is really interesting because when you cut it looks like a star! It is normally used as decoration of all kinds of sweets, drinks and savory dishes.
This fruit is sweet and acidic, and you can try it fresh, with the peel, or in salads and juices.
Guanábana
This fruit has a rare appearance (something like a big green dinosaur egg) and it has a taste as unique as its looks. Inside, it is white similar to a fish and its texture is like that of a custard, but do not be fooled; it’s a delicious mixture of acidic and sweet.
It is normally enjoyed more as a juice, and it is so popular in the capital that you can find little carts all over the city selling this juice. Ask for it! You will be amazed!
Papaya
Papaya is a really sweet fruit with a bright orange color on the inside and it can be yellow, orange and green on the outside. It is a fruit that is consumed a lot in Colombia and in Bogotá, especially for breakfast.
You eat it without the skin and without the black seeds you find inside. Its pulp is very juicy and sweet. You can try it like that, fresh and juicy, or as a juice. It is a low-calorie fruit good for digestion that you definitely have to try!
Uchuva
Uchuvas are small orange balls. They have a mild flavor; a little sweet and sour, and you will find them in many places. They are great as a snack! Or you can also try them in sauces and dressings.
It is a very typical Colombian fruit that will surprise you for sure.
Fruits for everyone
These are just some of my favorite tropical and exotic fruits you can find in Bogotá, but these are not the only ones. You will find many more incredible fruits in the capital like corozo, granadilla, pitahaya, tomate de árbol, zapote and many others.
Also, I assure you that the tropical fruits that you already know have a special flavor here: the pineapple and the watermelon are the sweetest you will taste! The mango, for example, won’t be like the ones you’ve tried and more yellow than you have ever seen it! We also eat mango green with lemon, salt, and pepper and it’s called “mango biche”. The coconut will leave you breathless, and you will want to drink the delicious coconut lemonade that they sell in restaurants all the time. Avocados are big, creamy and full of flavor! Really, I’m not exaggerating, it is fruit paradise here! And if that was not enough, thanks to the weather and ideal geographic location of Colombia, you can find all kinds of fruits and vegetables at a very good price. You can buy all these fruits in any supermarket, neighborhood stores or in popular markets like Paloquemao (markets’ website here) and you will only need between 3,000 and 6,000 Colombian pesos to buy them ($1-2 USD). Also, you can find juices from 6,000 to 12,000 Colombian pesos ($2-4 USD) and you will see small carts that sell fruit throughout the city, where you can buy a cup of fruit for only 2,000 Colombian pesos! ($0.6 USD) amazing right?
Finally, it is important to know that Colombians love milk, so they tend to drink some juices with milk. In restaurants, it is very common for them to ask if you want juices in water or milk, so be prepared for that (read our article about traditional Colombian juices here). I know it may sound a little strange, but they are like delicious fruity milkshakes! Try them if you dare; the biggest risk is that you’ll love them!
Read our article Colombian fruits: how to eat them like a local pro to know more about this tasty and wonderful world!
Do you have any other favorite tropical fruit? Share them with us! And go to our website to find out everything else you definitely have to try in Bogotá!
