Chocó: gastronomic adventure and tourist jewel of the Colombian Pacific

Abstract

This document presents the characterization of ingredients, traditions, and culinary techniques specific to Nuquí (municipality), El Valle, Arusí, Panguí, and Coquí (corregimientos) in the Chocó department of Colombia, which borders the Pacific Ocean. This privileged region, with its jungle, rivers, mangroves, and sea, provides its inhabitants with a diversity of ingredients, making it a gastronomic and ecotourism destination not only for its beautiful landscapes but also for whale watching from July to October. The study is a qualitative, descriptive approach with a non-experimental design and non-probabilistic sampling. Interviews were conducted with traditional cooks, in which 9 rooftop herbs, 15 fruits, 4 varieties of plantains, 8 fish and seafood, and 4 plant-based products used as food containers, wrappers, and spices were characterized.