(4 people) Arepas - Ingredients 2 cups of corn white flour Doñarepa Flour Harina PAN Harina Su Sabor Chiva Arepas 2 Cups Water 1 ½ tsp Salt Butter optional Preparation 1) Add 2 cups of Corn White flour to a medium bowl and pour in 2 cups of water and 1 ½ tsp of salt. 2) Using hands or a wooden spoon, knead the mix until forming a soft and smooth dough. 3) Roll into balls and gently press down until forming the arepa shape. Once your arepas are done, cook them in hot pan until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Some people like to use a little bit of oil but that’s according to taste. Ingredients for Shredded Beef filling 2 Kg flank steak 9 cups water Salt and pepper to taste Hogao sauce 1 cup finely diced tomatoes 1 cup onion, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic 1/2 teaspoon cumin 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil Salt and pepper to tast Preparation Step 1 – Shredded Beef filling In a pot, place the flank steak, water, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked. Measure 1 cup of the liquid used to cook the meat. Set aside. Remove the beef from the pot, let it cool and shred with a fork or your hands. Step 2 – Hogao sauce Place the chopped onions, tomatoes, cumin, and seasoning of preference in a large pan with the olive oil. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Step 3 – Mix ingredients When the Hogao is finished, in the same pan, add tomato paste to taste, the shredded meat and the cup of broth set aside. Mix constantly. Let these ingredients simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve inside an arepa Get your arepa flour here:

The traditional Colombian folk dance group is a project that was born in February 2018. The objective of the group is to create a space where the community can actively participate in Colombian folk dance, to give people exposure to the country’s cultural roots and represent the Colombian culture abroad through dance and music. In what events have been presented? The group is based in Auckland and has had the pleasure of participating in different cultural festivals around the city such as the Auckland International Festival that takes place in the month of April, Taiwanese Festival Day and others outside the city as The Spring Festival that takes place in Hamilton for the month of September. The group travels from north to south performing some of the most representative rhythms from Colombia. Most of these rhythms come from the cultural mix between the indigenous, Afro-descendants and Spaniards. Can anyone join? The group currently has approximately 8 members from different nationalities such as Colombia, Bolivia, Peru and Russia. So yes, you don't need to be Colombian to be part of our group. When and how can I join Tierra viva? Tierra Viva rehearses every Monday from 7 to 9 pm at Massey Community Hub 385 Don Buck Road, Massey. Depending on the commitments that we may have, we rehearse an extra day when there is a performance coming up. For those interested in participating, no experience is required, only the willingness to learn and commit. Contact Info: Facebook Fan Page: Colombian Dance Group Auckland Managers: Diana Prieto & Julian Lopez

El bocadillo es uno de los dulces tradicionales que no puede faltar en los hogares colombianos, acompañante ideal de la mazamorra, también se utiliza como ingrediente para los tradicionales aborrajados y el plátano asado. Otras de las combinaciones clásicas en Colombia es comer bocadillo con queso o como acompañante de un vaso de leche bien fría. El bocadillo se prepara con pulpa de guayaba, panela o azúcar refinada. Este dulce tiene diferentes nombres dependiendo del país donde se consuma: · Colombia – Bocadillo o Bocadillo Veleño (de la región de Vélez Santander) · Venezuela – Conserva o bocadillo de guayaba · Argentina – Dulce de Guayaba · Países de habla inglesa – Guava paste, Guava jelly o Membrillo Paste Es importante mencionar que el bocadillo es muy similar en textura y sabor al dulce de membrillo consumido en Chile, España, México y Nueva Zelanda al cual se le conoce como quince paste o Quince cheese ¿Cuál queso va mejor con el bocadillo en Nueva Zealanda? Bueno, si estuviéramos en Colombia les sugeriríamos el queso doble crema o el quesito campesino, pero como estamos en Nueva Zelanda les sugerimos comerlo con quesos como el mozzarella, haloumi o Edam. En Latino Foods, tenemos esta deliciosa opción de Bocadillo: Bocadillo Super Lonja Su Sabor. Comparte bocadillo con tus amig@s!

1. QUESO ¡Todos sabemos que los MEJORES BUÑUELOS se hacen con Queso Costeño! Ahora puedes encontrar el queso costeño para tus buñuelos en nuestra tienda virtual aquí. No olvides que al ser un producto fresco, este se despachará en modalidad nocturna y llegará a tu domicilio en un plazo inferior a 24 horas. En su defecto, puedes utilizar queso feta y/o queso fresco. La combinación de estos dos quesos da a los buñuelos colombianos ese sabor único que les da el queso costeño. Alternativamente hemos escuchado recomendaciones de Amigos Colombianos en Nueva Zelanda que los han preparado con un queso llamado "Paneer Cottage Cheese" Y quedan deliciosos! Nota: El queso debe molerse y no rallarse. El uso de otro tipo de queso diferente al feta o fresco puede aportar humedad a la mezcla y podría generar salpicaduras y producir quemaduras. 2. REFRIGERAR LA MASA Antes de freír los buñuelos y de armar las bolitas, deja la mezcla en la nevera por 30 minutos. (muy importante para que no se exploten al freírlos) 3. PRUEBA DE TEMPERATURA PARA EL ACEITE Agrega suavemente una bolita de masa. Esta debe bajar al fondo, demorarse allí 13 segundos aproximadamente y luego subir. Nota: Si la bolita sube rápidamente antes de 13 segundos, el aceite está demasiado caliente, sino sube, el aceite aún está frío. 4. TEMPERATURA IDEAL DE FREÍDO La temperatura ideal de freído se logra cuando los buñuelos giran sobre sí mismos flotando en la superficie del aceite, de esta forma el buñuelo se cocina uniformemente. - En aceite muy frío, los buñuelos pierden su forma, se abren y absorben mucho aceite. - Si el aceite está muy caliente, los buñuelos se doran rápidamente formando una corteza tostada, no crecen y no se alcanza una completa cocción en su interior. El buñuelo puede reventarse, salpicar aceite y producir quemaduras. 5. FREÍR Es importante freír los buñuelos por cantidades que permitan tener suficiente espacio para girar y freírse de forma pareja. Nota: utiliza un caldero u olla grande. Debe haber tanta cantidad de aceite que tape completamente el tamaño del buñuelo en el caso de que no flotara. El buñuelo nunca debe rozar contra la pared inferior de la freidora. Tiene que tener espacio suficiente para flotar.

Arepas - Ingredients 2 cups Flour Doñarepa Flour Harina PAN Harina Su Sabor 2 Cups Water 1 ½ tsp Salt Butter optional Preparation 1) Add 2 cups of Corn White flour to a medium bowl and pour in 2 cups of water and 1 ½ tsp of salt. 2) Using hands or a wooden spoon, knead the mix until forming a soft and smooth dough. Roll into balls and gently press down until forming the arepa shape. 3) Once your arepas are done, cook them in hot pan until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Some people like to use a little bit of oil but that’s according to taste. Get your arepa flour here:

We had a fun interview with Nelson Cuellar, a Colombian Tennis Player and Coach Living in Auckland, New Zealand. Read his story: Who is Nelson Cuellar? I am from Bogota, graduated from the University of La Sabana in International Business Administration, and I played tennis in Bogota, playing national tournaments from 10 to 17 years old. I arrived in New Zealand after graduating from college at 23. I came to study English with a 4-month visa and with a lot of work I managed to stay longer working in a cafe, at the same time teaching tennis and working as a bartender in a bar. Sometimes I had to work 90 hours a week!. But all that effort and hard work always pays off!. I founded my company 6 years ago, following my passion for Tennis and helping people learn this beautiful sport. How long have you lived in New Zealand and what brought you to this country? I live in New Zealand 9 and a half years ago, initially I only came to do an MBA but for reasons of life I decided to create my company instead of starting the master's degree. What do you do in New Zealand? I currently own Tennis Monsters, and we have tennis schools in 6 different clubs. We teach from beginners of any age to high-performance players. Currently, 80% of coaches we have are South American, in my team we have 4 Colombians! :) What is the Colombian food that you miss most? The ajiaco is my favorite food!, I could live my whole life eating ajiaco every day! (See here one fo the main ingredientes for Colmbian Ajiaco Soup, Guascas: https://www.latinofoods.co.nz/product-page/dehydrated-herbs-guascas-10g ) What snack of the Colombian Store is the one you like the most? The product of the Colombian Store that I like the most is the Cocossette, yum !! Where to contact you if someone is interested on Tennis? If you are interested in learning, practicing or teaching Tennis in New Zealand, you can contact Nelson Cuellar: 0210499671. Email: info@tennismonsters.com Visit www.tennismonsters.com for more information.

La Tienda Colombiana with the support of OMA donated 500 coffee bags to the Colombian Consulate in Auckland to share their love for coffee and make sure that more Colombians and Locals enjoy a cup of a delicious and unique coffee. Some of the coffee bags were gifted during the LANZBC Event: Business Opportunities in Colombia and the remained bags have been distributed in various events organized by the Colombian Consulate. If you haven’t tried a cup of the delicious Oma’s Coffee yet , we would like to invite you to visit our online store https://www.latinofoods.co.nz/shop and see the options we have for your. Consulate-General of the Republic of Colombia, Auckland, New Zealand Contact: Physical address Level 16, 191 Queen Street Auckland 1010 Tel | (09) 300 6390 Fax | (09) 300 6389 Email | cauckland@cancilleria.gov.co

New Zealanders have 'The Lord of The Rings' we have the King and Lord of the Soaps. This unique soap became part of the traditional products in Colombia and is well known from the young kids to the grandparents. You can find it in many Colombian homes around New Zealand. And... believe it or not, this soap is used for much more than simply doing the laundry. Over the last 70 years of existing, many different uses have emerged, and in this post we are compiling the most interesting ones. Disclaimer: In this article, we are showing some non-conventional ways to use the 'Jabón Rey' But this product is laundry soap, we are not recommending to use it in any other way. Have you heard about these uses of the Jabón Rey? 1) Shine the kitchen pots: It is well known that this soap works great for washing metal pots and it helps leave them shiny as new. 2) Cleaning your shoes: We know that keeping one’s shoes clean is very important, and this incredible soap can do just that for you! Just try it and you will see; they will look just as new. Mostly white shoes! Try it! 3) Washing white clothes: Of course, this soap works very well for washing white clothes. People say 'Nothing leaves it as white/clean as the Jabon Rey' 4) Hair care: With this product, your hair can increase shine, grow, and prevent hair loss (not so true tho). It is said to also remove dandruff and even help to get rid of lice. And of course, it is also the principal ingredients for Punk-Rock Hairstyles 5) Pet Bath: Many Colombians use Rey soap to bathe the dog, cat or even horses! This provides them with good shine in the hair and also helps remove fleas and ticks. 6) Giant bubbles: Yes, that’s right! If you want to take your bubble game experience to the next level, try to use Rey soap and you will see the difference. 7) Shine your house’s floor: If you want to have shine and clean floors, this product will give you just that. 8) Good Luck? There are families who have Jabon Rey in their houses, not only for cleaning clothes but cleaning bad energies and bringing good luck to their homes. Do you use the Jabon Rey in Any other Way? Please comment this post so we can add more ways to use Jabon Rey. And if you are Colombian living in New Zealand, Jabon Rey at home is a 'Must Have'. You can always order it here: https://www.latinofoods.co.nz/product-page/laundry-soap-jab%C3%B3n-rey-300g Also, see this interesting Video about the Jabon Rey https://www.rtvcplay.co/series/los-puros-criollos/jabon-rey Thanks for reading this far, Cheers! LatinoFoods

In this section of our blog, we like to share stories of Colombians Living in New Zealand. We had a fun interview with Karen Alvarado from CWorld, here you can read her story: Who is Karen Alvarado and from what part of Colombia are you? I am from Popayan, a city in Colombia very close to Cali, but due to my father's job I spent all my high school years living in Ipiales, a city near the border with Ecuador. I graduated in Business Administrator and Project Management from El Bosque University in Bogota. I am a happy mum of two little Kiwi boys (Samuel and Nicolas, 4 and 2 years old respectively) and I have lived in New Zealand with my Colombian husband for the last 9 years. Tell us a bit about your story: I came to study English for 7 months; studied a Diploma in management and worked as a general manager for 4 years in Mexican restaurants, and thanks to this job I learned about the visa processes and the needs that all students had when they want to extend their visa (cost, quality, and duration). All the time I was surrounded by students and their greatest wish was to extend their visa to continue on in this beautiful country. I discovered that I had this ability to know and understand the visa process, and then Cworld agency was born as a result of that; a company that not only helps to extend student visas and bring students, but also is a support for all people who want to know different experiences. We try to make them feel about us like a family. I currently own CWorld and we have offices in Auckland, Melbourne and Bogota, and also we help with and follow through on all procedures for student visas, residence, work and visitor visas, referring to a great team of immigration advisers. In my free time, I do some management of my husband's company where today he has 22 employees. I love my work, I love helping people and helping them in their process because I know all the feelings encountered in this beautiful journey full of learning in the life of an immigrant. What Colombian food you miss the most? Sanchocho (chicken soup, as we explain to Kiwis), pan de bono, tostacos, ponque gala and chocorramos. What products from our Store do you like? Latino Foods is our blessing! Thank you to this great team for bringing in our products and giving our children the opportunity to know a little more of our flavours and culture. In my house there is always harina pan which is my husband's favourite. Pony malta for my youngest son Nicolas, Frunas for my son Samuel and for me Cocosette , and now I am addicted to the new product Snacks mix! Any advice you want to share with Colombians who want to study in New Zealand? Yes, DO NOT STOP DREAMING, and save money. Sometimes we believe the dream of learning a new language in another country is too expensive or impossible for some but the reality is: if they find a good, professional agency then students can have cheap prices and fulfill their goals and dreams and not have to spend so much. If you are thinking of living this experience, do not hesitate, it is an experience that helps you grow and become a better person. Without a doubt, living this experience allows you to discover new cultures, places and discover the true strengths that we have. Come ready to live a different experience and have faith that everything will turn out perfect for sure! Lastly, each person will have a different experience and the truth is that New Zealand is a beautiful country and it’s a good decision to live here. Let yourself be guided by your heart and intuition; if people come with lots of positivity, desire and dreams they will surely have the best experience of their lives. Cworld is your friendly professional agency, always willing to give the best option. Where to contact you if someone is interested on more info about your agency Cworld? If you are interested in study or visa extensions in New Zealand, you can contact Karen Alvarado: +642040451188 Email: info@cworld.co Visit www.cworld.co for more information https://www.facebook.com/CWorld.co Thanks for reading! LatinoFoods

'Achiras' are a unique/endemic snack made in Huila, Colombia. It came from a Family tradition of our Inca and Chibchas ancestors. The base ingredient It is actually a tuber that occurs in the mountains of this department, in the mild climate. We are importing a Premium version “Achiras Mauka”: The base ingredient are Andean tubers and seeds, native, healthy and superfoods. Therefore, is you want to try an unique tasty snack, healthy supperfoods, natural and Gluten Free? Try Colombian Achiras, it is delicious! Benefits • Gluten free • Sugar free • Achira Tuber / 100% Achira • Low calories • High protein / 5g Natural Protein • Natural approved by FDA Chia seeds We are importing to New Zealand 2 Types of Achiras Traditional Achira Achira tuber: high protein content, sugar free, suitable for diabetics, gluten free and low calorie. Base ingredient its tuber from an 'Achira' Flower in Colombia. you can Buy online, we delivery anywhere in New Zealand: Buy Traditional Achira Snack from Colombia Achira Chia Seeds Chia seeds: High content of fatty acids such as omega 369, high protein content and a feeling of fullness. This Achira type uses seeds from the Chia flower. You can buy online, we delivery anywhere in New Zealand: Buy Achira Chia Seeds Snack from Colombia Corporate Video of Achira Mauka Producers in Colombia: Thank you for reading! :D Try more Colombian and Latino Snacks, biscuits and crackers here: https://www.latinofoods.co.nz/shop

There is nothing better than a hot and delicious drink for Winter season, and the Colombian Hot Chocolate is a Must-Try!. It is a tasty and delightful option to keep you warm. ... if you are not Colombian you might find the following photo a bit odd, but yes, we do that!... it's delicious! and you should try it: Chocolate is a very common and healthy option to drink at breakfast or to join with a snack in the afternoon. Being cacao-based, drinking this delicious beverage brings some benefits such as an antioxidant effect, decreasing blood pressure, improving the mood due to the increase of endorphins, among others great benefits for your health! This drink is very versatile and although is mostly drank in hot milk which results in a wonderful flavour, there are different and curious recipes you can try at home. You can get really creative when using it in the kitchen! Here some ideas: 1- The Colombian Way: Melt Cheese in your the hot chocolate! The traditional Colombian way of drinking hot chocolate is putting cheese into the cup of hot chocolate, so it melts, and it stretches in a delicious way that is very provocative, check it out! 2- Chocolate and strawberries with cream Add in the blender 1 cup of hot milk with some chocolate and 3 strawberries, liquify a little this mix and then serve this drink with some whipped cream and some pieces of strawberries and finally enjoy! 3- Andean chocolate (Chocolate with Achiras) Liquify a cup of hot milk with a single tablet of chocolate, and after serving it add some achiras and cheese. Enjoy a perfect snack for cold mornings and nights! 4- Herbal chocolate On a cup of milk on the oven at low fire, add a branch of fresh rosemary so the milk can take its flavour and then draw it out. Add a tablet of chocolate to the hot milk and mix it a little till the chocolate melt completely. Serve it adding a pinch of salt and mix it one last time. Remember that the chocolate tablets are not like the sweet chocolate you give on Valentine's, this table chocolate it is bitter and you have to melt it in water or milk You can order Colombian Hot Chocolate in our online store! We have 3 options for you: Hot Chocolate Traditional flavor Hot Chocolate Cinnamon and Cloves Flavor Hot Chocolate Low Sugar Thanks for reading! LatinoFoods

Yo soy de Bogotá, pasé la mayor parte de mi infancia en Manizales. Mi papa es de allá, entonces en la casa nunca faltó ni la arepa ni los frijoles. Creo que por esto Manizales es un un lugar que siempre voy a tener en mi corazón ya que siento que soy de allá básicamente. ¿Quién es Vale Zuluaga? Soy una mujer de veintiocho años súper súper súper apasionada por todo lo que hago en todos los sentidos de mi vida. Siempre intentó dar doscientos por ciento en todo lo que hago. Soy una persona a la que le encantan los desafíos por eso estoy desempeñando en el área de tecnologías de la información que es mi profesión y también en la parte fitness que hasta ahora relativamente empecé este año. También soy extremadamente curiosa, si escucho algo que me interesa investigo para aprender más. Me encantan los gatos, tengo dos gatos hermosos uno ragdoll cat y un Mainecoon . Estas son razas grandes y pues son a mis bebés acá en Nueva Zelanda porque en ese momento no tengo planeado tener hijos. Soy una persona muy familiar y aunque no tengo mi familia aquí, tengo a mi esposo que me apoya en todas las cosas que hago y yo también lo apoyo a él. ¿Hace cuánto tiempo vives en Nueva Zelanda y a que te dedicas? En Nueva Zelanda llevo siete años acabados de cumplir. Llegue el 28 de octubre de 2012. En mi trayectoria Nueva Zelanda yo creo ha sido como la mayoría de las personas que llegan del extranjero. Al principio fue muy complicado porque no hablaba inglés y mis posibilidades laborales estaban muy limitadas entonces trabaje en diferentes cosas. La mayoría del tiempo trabajé en un restaurante mexicano y creo que trabaje ahí por unos dos o tres años casi. Fue difícil no tener ni familia ni amigos y empezar básicamente de cero. Mientras trabajaba en el restaurante mexicano conocí a mi esposo, él tenía una empresa de reciclaje de aceite usado y el restaurante era a uno de sus clientes y así fue que nos conocimos. Después decide hacer un diplomado porque mi inglés ya había mejorado un poco y ahí fue cuando empecé a buscar trabajo en mi área. Yo estudie Administración de Negocios Internacionales e intente buscar algo relacionado con logística y administración, pero pues no encontré, fue un poco difícil. Fui afortunada en conocer a una persona que necesitaba a alguien urgentemente y era en el área de tecnologías de la información. La persona que buscaban era para sales support / account management. Yo no tenía ni idea del trabajo, pero en mi entrevista dije que era una persona que le encanta aprender, qué aprende rápido y que iba a dar el doscientos por ciento para aprender todo lo necesario. Pero fui clara en decirles que yo no tenía ninguna experiencia en tecnologías de la información, que sabía enviar y contestar email y apagar y prender el computador, pero nada más y de ahí empecé a incursionar el área y ya llevó cuatro años trabajando en IT. ¿Qué te trajo a Nueva Zelanda? En realidad, es una historia un poco larga y tormentosa porque yo decidí venir a Nueva Zelanda por mi exnovio, él viajó un año antes que yo. Y yo decidí viajar apenas terminé la universidad. Cuando llegue a Nueva Zelanda desafortunadamente las cosas no funcionaron entre los dos y tuve que separarme de él, cuatro meses después de que llegue y puedes comenzar básicamente de cero sin conocer a nadie. ¿A qué te dedicas en Nueva Zelanda? En este momento estoy enfocándome en dos cosas básicamente, mi carrera profesional en tecnologías de la información y mi carrera en el área de fitness y modelaje. En la parte de tecnologías de la información como Commercial and Business Analyst y trabajo directamente con todos los suppliers entonces manejó la relación con ellos. Básicamente lo que necesito hacer es tener una buena relación con ellos y obtener beneficios para la empresa. También me dedico a todos los proyectos de transformación de los negocios internos de la empresa gerenciando el proyecto lo que implica trasladar toda la infraestructura que tenemos en el data center a una plataforma en la cloud. La otra empresa en la que trabajo es un start up es un Software as a Service para managed service providers. En esta empresa mi esposo y yo somos accionistas también. Este año también fui nominada como una de las estrellas crecientes en mujeres en tecnologías de la información, pero desafortunadamente no gane, pero al estar y ser parte de este grupo de mujeres que incentivan otras mujeres para participar en una industria que es básicamente dominada por hombres es algo muy importante. En la parte personal empecé hace poco a incursionar en el área de body building. Llevo básicamente unos seis siete meses entrenando enfocada exclusivamente para competición. Yo llevo yendo al gimnasio básicamente unos cinco seis años de los cuales buena parte del tiempo siempre había estado experimentando dietas diferentes intentando cuidarme, escogiendo opciones muchísimo más saludables sin necesidad de dejar de comer ciertas cosas, pero cambiando la decisión a una opción mucho más saludable y de eso yo he hecho un montón de recetas y tengo un montón de recetas saludables que creado para tener una mejor opción de alimentación. Esta área es en este momento una pasión y un hobby que estoy teniendo en la parte en la parte personal. me ha ido muy muy bien. Mi primera competición la gané, fue en una federación pequeña y yo competí como Sports Model. De ahí decidí hacer otra que es una federación muchísimo más grande en la cual se presentaron más o menos ochenta mujeres para la categoría y la categoría la dividieron en cuatro subcategorías en la cual mi categoría era más o menos unas veinticinco mujeres que era Diva Bikini Model. Yo no soy alta, yo soy bajita entonces estaba en la categoría de las más bajitas y quede de segundas lo que en realidad fue un logro que no pensé que fuera a alcanzar porque fue demasiado competitivo. ¿Cuál es la comida colombiana que más extrañas? La comida colombiana que más extraño, claramente son las arepas con queso porque comía arepa todos los días en Colombia. Y a veces me hacen falta a los frijoles que hacía mi mamá. ¿Qué producto de La Tienda Colombiana has probado o cual te gustaría probar? El que más he consumido de La Tienda Colombiana, es la masa para hacer arepas, arequipe, platanitos y la mezcla para hacer pandebonos. La compro en Bulk Food Savings en Mt Eden que tiene un stand con todos los productos de la tienda y me queda muy cerca de mi trabajo. ¿Qué receta saludable nos recomiendas? La receta que quisiera compartir es un mousse de chocolate que cada vez que lo preparo a todo el mundo le encanta: El mousse de chocolate yo lo preparo con aguacate y es supremamente fácil. See recipes on Vale's Instagram @val_zuluaga_: Thanks for reading! :D Latino Foods Team