Colombians definitely have a sweet tooth. Business men walk down busy streets on their way to meetings with ice-creams in their hands and no matter what time of day it is, hot chocolate and cheese always goes down a treat.

Now, I like dessert just as much as the next person but this week I made it my mission to find out what the best desserts of Bogotá are. Colombian cuisine isn’t just rice and frijoles, oh no, so after eating on street corners, in restaurants and out of the back of vans, I’ve come up with Bogotá’s top 5 desserts.

1. Merengón

It may be because I’m Australian and that Merengón is very similar to our national dessert the Pavlova, but I am a serious fan of this merengue-based dessert. It usually has whipped cream and guanabana but basically you can get it with all different types of fruit on it. Strawberry is particularly popular and my personal favourite.

2. Milhojas

Milhojas is a deliciously messy crumbly pastry dessert. The name translates to mean ‘thousand leaves’ because of all the flakey layers of goodness. It’s made with puff pastry which is then filled with cream, dulce de leche and arequipe. Yum!

3. Cuajada con melao

Cuajada con melao means curd with molasses and that is exactly what it is – cow’s milk curd with a panela syrup. It has a silky smooth texture and goes down a treat.

4. Leche asada

This is Colombia’s answer to the flan. A wonderfully wobbly dessert made with condensed milk, cheese, vanilla, caramel and eggs.

5. Obleas

Now you’ve no doubt seen vendors selling obleas on street corners. They’re pretty much the perfect quick cold-climate dessert. It’s basically like an ice-cream but without the ice-cream, are you following me? There are two round pieces of wafer and in the middle they’re coated with anything from arequipe and crema de leche to strawberry jam and pineapple. They are delicious, go out and get one right now.

Buen Provecho!

Sarah