Lulada

Ingredients

Fruit

• 6to 8 ripe lulo, naranjilla
• or 400 g frozen lulo pulp

Also

• 1 litrecold water
• juice of 2 limes
• sugar or panela syrup, to taste
• plenty of crushed ice

To serve

• in a tall glass, with a spoon
• on a hot afternoon in Cali

Directions

1. Wash the lulo and rub off the fine hairs on the skin under running water. Cut each in half and scoop the green pulp and seeds out into a bowl with a spoon. Discard the skin, which is not eaten.
2. Squeeze and press the pulp between your fingers, or crush it against the side of the bowl with a wooden spoon or a masher.
3. Work it firmly enough to break the pulp apart but gently enough that the seeds stay whole. You should end up with a loose green pulp with intact seeds suspended through it.
4. Add the cold water to the crushed pulp and stir it through. Add the lime juice, which sharpens what is already a sour fruit and makes it more refreshing rather than less. Now the sweetening, and it needs a fair amount.
5. Add sugar or panela syrup gradually and taste as you go. Lulo is genuinely sour, so it needs more sweetening than most fruit, and an undersweetened lulada is unpleasantly sharp.
6. Use crushed ice rather than cubes, and use a great deal of it. Crushed ice makes the drink slushy and cold throughout, which is the character of it. Fill tall glasses with crushed ice and pour the lulada over.
7. Serve it immediately with a long spoon, since the pulp settles quickly and needs stirring. It does not keep, and it should be made and drunk within the hour.

Technique

• The fruit is crushed by hand, never blended, so the seeds stay whole.
• Broken lulo seeds release a bitterness that ruins the drink.
• The chunky pulp is why it is served with a spoon.

Substitutions

• Frozen lulo pulp, which is what most people will use.
• Panela syrup in place of sugar.

Variations

• With a splash of aguardiente, as an adult version.
• Made with more lime, for a sharper drink.
• Champús, a related Cali drink with maize and fruit.

History

A refreshing drink made from the pulp of the lulo fruit, a tart, citrus-like fruit native to the Andes, blended with water, ice and sometimes lime, documented across Colombia, particularly associated with the city of Cali, where the drink is considered a defining regional specialty closely tied to that city’s specific culinary identity. Its use of lulo, a fruit not widely known or available outside the Andean region, reflects a distinctly Colombian and Andean ingredient rather than a more globally familiar fruit, giving lulada a flavour genuinely difficult to replicate outside Colombia and its immediate neighbors. Lulada remains one of the most iconic and refreshing traditional drinks specifically associated with Cali.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lulada?

Lulada is a drink from Colombia: cali cooler of hand-crushed lulo fruit, lime and ice. A refreshing drink made from the pulp of the lulo fruit, a tart, citrus-like fruit native to the Andes, blended with water, ice and sometimes lime, documented across Colombia, particularly associated with the city of Cali, where the drink is considered a defining regional specialty closely tied to that city’s specific culinary identity. Its use of lulo, a fruit not widely known or available outside the Andean region, reflects a distinctly Colombian and Andean ingredient rather than a more globally familiar fruit, giving lulada a flavour genuinely difficult to replicate outside Colombia and its immediate neighbors. Lulada remains one of the most iconic and refreshing traditional drinks specifically associated with Cali.

How long does Lulada take to make?

Lulada takes 15 min of preparation and none of cooking. The recipe makes 4 glasses. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Lulada?

Yes, within limits. Frozen lulo pulp, which is what most people will use. Panela syrup in place of sugar.

What is the most important thing to get right in Lulada?

Add the cold water to the crushed pulp and stir it through. Add the lime juice, which sharpens what is already a sour fruit and makes it more refreshing rather than less. Now the sweetening, and it needs a fair amount.