Spices of Cartagena
A walled Caribbean port in Colombia, once a hub of the Spanish treasure fleets and of a coastal cuisine of coconut, cumin and chile.
Traded and grown here
Best time: December to April.
Cartagena de Indias was fortified by the Spanish in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its old walled city is a UNESCO site, and the Bazurto market sells fruit, fish, herbs and spices.
Spices and trade
Cartagena's food draws on African, Indigenous and Spanish traditions. Cumin, achiote, garlic and chile appear in dishes, such as arroz con coco, fried fish and sancocho. Palenqueras sell fruit in the streets.
The place and its people
San Basilio de Palenque, nearby, was founded by escaped enslaved people and has a distinct language and culture.
Visiting
The old walled city and the castle of San Felipe are the main sights. Bazurto is an authentic and busy market.
A trail idea for Cartagena
- Mercado de Bazurto See fish and spices.
- The walled city Walk the ramparts.
- A coastal restaurant Eat coconut rice.
- Castillo San Felipe Climb the fortress.
Written by the EveryMasala desk with AI assistance. Background: "Cartagena, Colombia" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Tolu balsam: Maša Sinreih in Valentina Vivod, CC BY-SA 3.0, source