Donut Factory: Donut Quest

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Do not eat a lot of sugar or donuts before boarding a plane, it just does not sit right

My quest for fried dough is always on going and I spied such a place called the Donut Factory in the Bogota Airport. I saw it on my way in and people on my flight were carrying boxes of these donuts. I given I did not see any donut outlets in Santa Marta the stock up is warranted. 

The Donut Factory as far as internet searching could tell me, is just a Colombia Chain. But the lines here were bigger than the ones at the Dunkin Donuts so I knew I had to try. The donuts that they are known for or the most popular are the filled donuts. I selected three donuts, apple, dulce de leche or arequipe and a nutella one. They are all yeasted donuts and are particularly small; I guess I am used to American sized food. But everything was glazed so eating these you end up a sticky mess. The scariest one by far was the apple filled donut. The filling was an electric green. It reminds me of something from the Creepy Crawlers kit (90s child reference). The nuclear mucus green fill however, did taste delightfully of apple. The nutella was nothing special, it is what you would expect from a donut filled with nutella and the arequipe was creamed and light. 

Nutella

Apple filled, neon green

Arequipe

Pizza Vomito Santa Marta

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: All the slices of pizza here are bigger than my head. Is that a good thing?

I avoid eating pizza when I travel South bluntly put, it does not look appealing at all. Even the ones that claim that they have wood fired ovens, the pizza comes out looking like undercooked frozen pizza or you attempted to reheat a pie with a blowtorch. However, I could not help but notice that in Santa Marta, there was a lot of pizza being made…on the street. These carts had gas pizza ovens and the proprietors were actually rolling out fresh dough and making pizzas. 

Curiosity may of killed the cat, but it just makes me hungry (not for cat) and I finally rolled up to one to see the pizzas they were making literally in an open kitchen. They are sold by the slice and reheated as such so I started off simple with a ham and cheese topped slice. First thing to notice is that crust does not exist. The toppings go all the way to the edge. Those that do not like crust, come to Colombia. The next I noticed is it is a pretty pale pizza. As an advocate of pizza char, I was a bit apprehensive about how this will taste. Queue flashbacks to frozen pizzas in College.

However, I was surprised that the pizza was actually pretty good. The crust…well the dough element I guess I will call it was actually a bit crispy and spying a bag of cornmeal on the side I think helped. The tomato sauce was clearly canned or some sort so it was on the sweet side but the saltiness of the ham and cheese worked well with it and also, they were easy on the tomato sauce which ensured an edible product.

I was feeling good, then I encountered a pizza guy setting up on the side street in from of a flower shop with a sign in proud, dripping letters, “Pizza Vomitto 6ta”. This obviously caught my eye and weirdly hungry. I of course, had to try this Pizza Vomitto. Having already experienced the culinary creation of the Colombian hotdog, heavy on the toppings was no surprise to me but the stuff they put on it, left me laughing. It starts off with the tomatoes sauce base, then the cheese like any normal pizza. Next comes an array of meats, sausage, ham, pepperoni, and shredded chicken.

Then the vegetable, of chopped red onions, peppers and corn and that gets all thrown into the oven. When it comes out, they are not done yet, with the addition of parmesan cheese, a squirt of Caesar dressing, mayonnaise (mayonnaise is a popular topping I noticed) and finally, a blanket of potato sticks.  I have no clue how this creation first came out, but I can assume the Vomitto name is very, very figurative rather than in the taste and look. In broken Spanish and cursing 9^th grade me for not paying attention in Spanish III better, I asked from what I could understand, it was created for late night clubbers which makes sense. 

The taste? It was actually good. You could actually taste all the ingredients and they all worked together somehow. The potato stick topping on the pie is great, adding a lot of crunch to it. It sort of reminds me of back in school, and what I will occasionally do, sticking potato chips into my sandwich. The pizza in Colombia surprises me ad being interesting and not bad. It is obvious that we cannot compare this to the pies in New York or even a Neapolitan pie but it is a pizza in its own right and it tasted better than some of the pizza I have eaten in the US. The pizza here is more closely related to a heavily topped flatbread and they are quite stringent on getting an even layer of toppings that encompasses the whole pie canvas ensuring a perfect bite each time. So do not be turned off by the pizza in Santa Marta and give it a try, the Pizza Vomitto is worth a try and if you actually finish the whole thing, I applaud you, for I ate ¾ of that thing and it sat in me like a rock. 

Perro Caliente (Hotdogs) Colombia

On Nomz Hero Note to Self: What doesn’t taste good with crushed up potato sticks on top

Perro Caliente with an absurd amount of mayo

At barbeques, if asked if I want a hotdog or a hamburger, I will always answer hamburger, at least as what I am going to eat first. I like hotdogs but going head to head with a hamburger or a sandwich, I will choose the later just simply because after eating a hotdog, I never feel completely satisfied. Even in New York, eating at Crifdogs or Japadog, one or two hotdogs is really just a snack for me, which is probably why I was a fat kid. One hotdog never satisfied me until I came face to face with the Colombian version of a hotdog. 

I encountered it first when I was in the Bogota airport, I heard rumors of the ridiculous amount of condiments and when I found a place selling it, I of course had to eat it. Here is the basic rundown of the Colombian hotdog. It starts off simple enough, a footlong hotdog and a bun to match. The one at the airport toasted their bun too. Then goes the ketchup…not weird, still on level ground, then the mayonnaise…pushing the comfort zone, then the pineapple sauce…wait what? Then grated cheese…uhh what is going on? Then the crushed potato sticks and my mind being utterly confused. 

This huge monstrosity was the size of my forearm and I thought it was funny that the server gave me extra ketchup and mayonnaise packets. I notice that napkins are used and given sparingly in Colombia so that one measly napkin they gave you will not be enough. This is a condiment party and with everything that is in there…this somehow works and taste awesome. The pineapple sauce is great here and though initial reactions usually would have everyone horrified, I guess it is kind of like the 50s baked ham and pineapple rings kind of combination. The pineapple sauce is not overly sweet which I think helps in working with everything. 

I later revisited the hotdog when I was in Santa Marta and found another hotdog vendor that was doing great business. I again got it and this time, it got a double helping of cheese in the condiment layering as well as the addition of mayonnaise based coleslaw. I also noticed that the hotdogs were kept in a hotpot that had a poaching liquid that had pineapples in it. This one just as messy as the other one and after eating this, left me covered with bits of cheese and potato sticks. Both times, you could taste the hotdog and it was not as salty as you would think. It was a good hotdog though the condiments are what make a Colombian hotdog. It is a fun thing to eat and one of the few hotdogs I can eat and feel actually satisfied after eating.

Street Eats Santa Marta

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Sausage being sold on the street is a sign of a great culture

The meals I had in Santa Marta were all good however; the bulk of my diet in Santa Marta besides eating obscene amounts of ice cream was mainly from street food. Some will think this is horrifying and disgusting and others think of this as being plain awesome. I have certain rules for stuff that I eat on the street and so far, it has kept my stomach out of trouble more or less. There is food found at almost every corner of the street in Santa Marta and even more there is fruit as almost every corner. I was in Colombia for about 8 days. I have never consumed so much fruit in a given period of time. I think I consumed so much fruit that it most likely is the contributing factor of why my legs got destroyed by mosquitoes the one day I decided to wear shorts on the trek. 

Vendors are selling fruits of all kind yet for the more exotic like guyabana or lucuma those you generally have to go to the market. Yet, fruits like, pineapples, mangos, papayas, watermelons and just basic melons, the corner guy will have that for you. The fruit sold, though maybe a lot of fruits that you can see in any supermarket in America are noticeably different when you eat it. The pineapples are dripping with juice that if you do not assume the right eating stance, will be covered in juice like you were making love to the Tropicana girl. The papayas had sweetness to them that I have only tasted when I was in Asia. The fruit was plentiful and cheap and everyone would be eating them throughout the day. For a more dessert feel, some vendors offer condensed milk and sugar, if for some reason you want the extra sugar kick. Smoothie and juice vendors were everywhere, it seemed like anyone with a descent blender was selling juice. Since water of unknown origin was usually added to the smoothies and juices, I rarely took part in drinking them. Fried things after the Jump!!

Eating In Santa Marta and Ciudad Perdida

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: I find that the more beans I eat, it does not lead to more gaseous release.

Our last meal on the trail- Steak, rice, beans, plantains and coleslaw.

Colombian food is not really something that pop ups on anyone’s culinary radar really. Besides Arepas, no one really has a set idea of what Colombian food is and that same idea goes for any country in Americas. It usually gets bunched together with the idea that it is basically what most Americans think when they think of Mexican fake ass Mexican food food. Meaning rice, refried beans and tortillas which yes, it is composed of a lot of rice but not what it is obviously. The food in Colombia is what I call utility food. It is food that is meant to fill you up and keep you going for the rest of the day because either you may not eat again till tomorrow or late or doing physically laboring stuff or all of the above. So rice, beans and stews were a common thing here which is not to say that the food cannot taste good. But if you are expecting for a light salad or a Lean Cuisine vegetable medley, you are out of luck.

One of the places I ate it my first day in Santa Marta was this random place I found on the side streets by my hostel in the Historic Center. I do what I usually do when I am hungry, walk around aimlessly until I see a place that has an ample amount of locale clientele that seem like they are enjoying their food (this method is quiet successful but can be time consuming). Actual food after the Jump!

Arepas in Colombia

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Arepas are great for breakfast...when you are not going to be hiking in the middle of the Colombia jungle. Sits in you like a rock

Arepa street cart dude

I was gone for the past two weeks trekking in Colombia and Peru (again) and with trekking, means I will be trying and eating everything that a place has to offer. I did the Ciudad Perdida trek and was stayed in Santa Marta. I do not know much about Colombian food, but one food item that I do know is Arepas and the Arepas are good. Arepas are basically masa cake patty(basic ingrediens is masa harina, water and salt) that get cooked, either griddle/grilled/fried and shoved with cheese or meat, it is similar to a pulpusa in El Salvador/Central America.
I got into Santa Marta late and woke up early the next morning and the night guy at the hotel/hostal i was at Julian was just getting off and leaving. I walked with him as I went to search for the local market (which by the way, is a hectic shitshow, reminds me of the market at the Gambia) and I mentioned I was in search of Arepas because, well corny cakes is my idea of a good breakfast.

He proceeded to lead me to a open door way that lead into an alley/courtyard where there was a bunch of dudes just chilling in lawn chairs and talking. In retrospect, and reading the previous sentence, not smart. But later after the fact that I was indeed not going to get jacked and dealing with the awkward hellos, (lets face it, ain't that many Asians in Santa Marta appearing and wanting an Arepas) there was a husband and woman team frying up Arepas. My newly acquired friends and Julian told me insistently that these were the best, Arepas con huevos in Santa Marta.

These Arepas, were a slight variation from what I have encountered here in the US and other parts of Colombia. the Arepas con huevos is made here by making it really flat and they give it a quick fry that somehow makes i hollow. Next, they nip a small opening, to slide in a raw egg and back into the fryer it goes. the result is something that is unlike kind of Arepa or just egg preparation I have had before. the Egg is light and has a sponge-like texture and the exterior crisp and shatters with each bite. It is greasy awesome goodness and the unfortunate part is, I tried twice to find this place again and never found this random place that had these amazing Arepas con huevos. I did find other Arepas con huevos, but none were like this, and they did not tast that good. Add that to the list of food haunts. the best I can tell you is that it was near the square where the flower market is located by the cemeteryand school.

Best egg Arepa.

It is not to say I did not eat more Arepas, I practically ate them as a meal or like a heavy amuse bouche. Priced at about 1,000 pesos (translates to bout 50 cents US) I could not resist. I was a frequent visitor to the street carts outside the Exito (think Walmart) where there was a dude grilling up Arepas and either filling it with cheese of a slightly spicy shredded chicken mix. These were the more typical ones. Grilled, there is a bit of smokiness to it and you cannot go wrong with some crispy smoky charred spots. In fact, at the last camp we stopped at on the way to Ciudad Perdida, the cook made us Arepas for breakfast and let me make one. By the way, there is no electricity or gas, so cooking, was done via fire. Just do not eat too many of these, they are on the greasy side and with it is like 90+ with humidity and you are hiking up a hill, you start to regret eating that extra Arepa.

Arepa with cheese