It's totally understandable that my future wife thought that I might judge her (not to mention her culture and her cuisine) for serving me cooked shrimp dressed with a mixture of bottled mayonnaise and ketchup, served on top of Saltine crackers, no less. And really, that's all that Colombian-style shrimp cocktail is. And yet, it's much, much more. Fragrant with onions and lime juice with a hint of heat and a bright acidity, the best shrimp cocktail should have tiny shrimp that are totally packed with flavor while maintaining a tender, nearly crisp bite to them. More

The most basic arepas in the Bogotá region are made with starchy white corn flour pressed into cakes about 1/4-inch thick then griddled. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. You'll find arepas stuffed with cheese and baked on hot stones in coal-fired ovens. Arepas with sour milk cheese worked right into the dough. Arepas made like a pancake with sweet corn on a hot griddle. Golden yellow deep-fried puffy arepas split open and stuffed with an egg. Tiny arepitas eaten as a snack. Move out of Colombia into Venezuela, and you'll find thicker arepas split open and stuffed with fillings ranging from cheese and beans to pork or shrimp. More

Colombia is nothing if not diverse. While in the mountains around Bogotá hearty, rib-sticking stews and soup dominate the cuisine, just 90 kilometers east, at the start of the Llanos—the vast plains that sweep across the south-eastern half of the country—barbecue reigns supreme. More

Have you ever tried to eat 30 different fruits in one sitting? Don't. Your stomach will thank you. Trust me, it's not nearly as fun as it sounds. All in the line of duty, I suppose. South America's tropical fruit, however, are fantastic. Get to know 30 different kinds—from anón to zapote. More