John Otis for NPR
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR’s international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.
In the central plaza of this remote northern Colombian town, I came upon a ring of metal rods skewered with tenderloin, ribs and brisket, encircling a smoky fire.
Men in cowboy hats were making carne a la llanera, which means “prairie-style meat.” It’s a culinary tradition from the plains (los llanos) of southeast Colombia, where cowboys and cattle herds[1] still roam.
But what were they doing in Monguí, which sits 9,500 feet high in the Andes Mountains?
Turns out carne a la llanera is popular all over Colombia. In Monguí, the succulent aroma helped draw hundreds of people to the plaza, where their purchase of a raffle ticket included a plate of the fire-roasted beef.
Tied to a nearby tree was a cute but nervous-looking lamb. I feared the animal was bound for the spit — but later learned it would go to the holder of the winning lottery ticket.
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References
- ^ where cowboys and cattle herds (www.npr.org)