Pandebono or pan de bono is a type of Colombian

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

made of

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

, eggs, and in some regions of the country, guava paste. Traditionally, it is consumed with hot chocolate, still warm a few minutes after baking. It is very popular in the

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n department of Valle del Cauca. This bread can be made in both a round and a ring shape.

Etymology

The version documented by Edouard André in "Equinoctial America" published in ''Picturesque America'' ''Picturesque America'' (Barcelona: Montaner y Simon, 1884) volume 3, p. 704 is that there was a place called "Hacienda El Bono" on the road between Dagua and

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

where this product was first prepared. In this

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

, a bread was made that was consumed by the muleteers who passed by on their way to Buenaventura, and everyone knew it as 'El pan de El Bono' (the bread of El Bono). Oral tradition merged the terms to popularize it as 'pandebono'. The somewhat valid historical records suggest that it was Genoveva, the matron-cook of Hacienda El Bono, who, in an attempt to enhance the nutritional and sensory value of traditional bread, added cassava starch, then corn, and cheese. Moreover, for the day laborers, pandebono represented a more substantial food, midway between a snack and a meal, capable of lasting all day in their satchels.

References

{{Reflist * América Pintoresca, Montaner y Simon, 1884, vol. 3, pp. 70

Colombian cuisine Cassava dishes Latin American breads Guava dishes Cheese dishes

Etymology

See also

References