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 Latin American flavours The Colombian community is one of the largest Latin American communities in London. Since the 1960s, there have been many waves of Colombians migrating to London. Nowadays, they comprise a very eclectic group of 70,000-80,000 people, with their own restaurants, newspapers and cultural centres. A high number of Colombian residents live in south London. They appear to have settled first in Elephant & Castle and then expanded towards Brixton and Stockwell. Shops and businesses In the south of London you'll find Colombian, Ecuadorian and even Peruvian shops and businesses. The range of what is on offer is incredible – the foods, customs and traditions of Latin America have been transported to London. There are corner shops that sell miscellaneous goods as well as those that specialise. Some food shops sell freshly-made corn breads or arepas, yucca bread, and empanadas, little savoury corn-crusted parcels stuffed with chicken, beef, cheese, eggs or vegetables - and then deep fried. They also sell the flour and other ingredients to make them. In others shops you can order ternera a la llanera, a calf cooked on a spit in a farm; or arrange a birthday celebration for your child complete with magicians and party piñatas, hollow figures made out of papier mache and filled with sweets and small toys. In Stockwell, one butcher sells extremely good quality meat from Uruguay. He also makes delicious spicy Colombian chorizo. Three or four years ago, the food markets in Brixton's Granville Arcade and on Electric Avenue specialised in Caribbean and African foods. Nowadays there are a couple of Colombian restaurants and even a fishmonger. Recommended foods Try la bandeja paisa, a local dish from Antioquia, Colombia's coffee region. In London, it has been practically adopted as the national dish. It is a tray of food really. It consists of generous helpings of red kidney beans, ground beef, ripe fried plantain or tajadas, rice, avocado, salad, a steak, and chicharron or pork crisps. Crowning it are one or two fried eggs. Sometimes it comes with a sauce, el hogao. It's onion with tomato sautéed on a very low heat until it becomes a soft paste. People enjoy freshly made fruit juices with the bandeja paisa. There are so many fruits to choose from; sour sap and raspberry are national favourites. One of the most traditional dishes is a soup, sancocho de gallina, a thick broth which contains chicken, potato, yucca, plantain, lemon, cumin, and coriander. There is nothing that can be compared to a sancocho de gallina to give you strength and help you recover. A favourite variation is what's affectionately called el sancocho trifacico. It has all the ingredients of the sancocho de gallina as well as two other meats – beef and pork. Colombians serve the broth in one bowl, and everything else in side dishes. Some of these often feature fresh avocado and boiled rice. Food & football On Sundays, the west side of Clapham Common hosts South American football games. These full-day events kick off at 10am and end in the early evening – it's very popular and hundreds of families and friends attend. But this isn't only about football. Food stalls sell all kinds of popular savoury foods and DJ's are able to blast their latest salsa, merengue and cumbia music. Address: Brixton Rd, London SW9. Tube: Brixton. Granville Arcade, Brixton Market, London SW9. Tube: Brixton. Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre, London SE1. Tube: Elephant & Castle. Clapham Common, London SW4. Tube: Clapham North, Clapham South and Clapham Common. Related links:  BBC Mundo BBC site LDN: Spanish and Latin American London |
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