We melt cheese into hot chocolate for breakfast in Bogota

As part of a traditional breakfast or brunch, we can´t miss a hot beverage with a soft texture. We have cheese in the shape of a bar that looks like cream cheese but tastes like fresh mozzarella, and we regularly melt it inside our hot chocolate.

Bogota used to be a cold city*. The temperature never was over 59F or 15C, it's rainy and it can be cloudy most of the days. So, looking to keep their bodies warm and full of energy despite the weather, people drink a lot of hot beverages: from coffee to agua de panela and hot chocolate. But I can't say this only happens in Bogota, because all the region around the capital city like Cundinamarca and Boyaca also does this. It´s a tradition, it´s a need. Speaking again about tradition, we have the culture of cheese. We love cheese on everything, with everything. We put cheese in our arepas, bread, desserts, breakfast, and of course, hot chocolate.

Then, how do we drink the hot chocolate with cheese? We cut the cheese into cubes or small portions. We put these cubes in the chocolate cup, we wait for it to be melted, we use a spoon and we eat the cheese while we sip the chocolate. The only DANGER sign I can tell you is PLEASE, DON'T CHOCK. And, as an extra tip, some fresh bread from the bakery will be the perfect side for this meal.

*Bogota is not as cold as it used to be. Now, we had had record temperatures close to 79F or 26C. Thank you, global warming.