MAIN INGREDIENTS
Chile's favorite home-cooked meal, the soft and creamy pastel de choclo is a casserole-like pie that is also popular in Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. It consists of ground beef, chicken, black olives, onions, hard-boiled eggs, and dough made from fresh grinded corn called choclo.
Corn plays a key role in the dish, and unsurprisingly so – it was worshipped by the ancient Incas whose most important god was the Corn God. Corn was so important to Incas that their chief, believed to be a descendant of the gods, planted the first corn seeds every year.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Chorrillana or bistec a la chorrillana is a popular Chilean dish served mostly in pubs where it is labeled as an appetizer or a dish that is meant to be shared. The basis of the meal are French fries which are covered in a combination of fried or scrambled eggs, strips of beef, and caramelized onions.
Common variations include additional ingredients like hot dogs, chorizo, and tomatoes, while the seasonings may include either garlic, oregano, or pebre—a popular Chilean condiment.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Marraqueta (also known as pan batido and pan francés) is the most popular bread in Chile and Bolivia, a staple food that is often consumed three times a day. It is made with flour, water, salt, and yeast. Two balls of dough are typically pressed together, then nearly split down the middle before the bread is baked in the oven, usually with a pan of water which gives marraqueta its characteristical crust.
The crust is so beloved that some people even pull out the crumb (called miga) before consumption. It is believed that marraqueta dates back to the late 19th and early 20th century, when a large number of Europeans immigrated to Chile and Bolivia.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
One of the most popular street food items in Chile is the delicious completo – which is the Chilean version of the famous American hot dog. Made with boiled wiener sausages served inside plain bread rolls, the whole dish is finished with generous amounts of various savory condiments such as sauerkraut, mashed avocado, chopped tomatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, and many other luscious combinations.
Depending on the toppings, they appear under various names such as original or Italiana, and can be found in the local laid-back eateries and fast food chains everywhere in the country.
Porotos con rienda is a traditional dish that is usually prepared during the colder winter months. This hearty stew is made with spaghetti noodles, beans, pumpkin, garlic, onions, and paprika powder or smoked chili pepper, and some people add sausages for a heartier meal.
The name of the dish means beans with reins, referring to spaghetti's resemblance to horse reins. It also references the original preparation method of porotos con rienda, which used stripes of pork skin instead of today's pasta. As time went on and the dish got to urban areas, it was difficult to obtain pork skin stripes, so people started to use noodles instead.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Tasty, easy to prepare, and quite inexpensive, cazuela de ave is a Chilean chicken stew consisting of chicken pieces, chicken stock, onions, carrots, pumpkin or squash, potatoes, rice, and pieces of corn. The stew is most commonly flavored with garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, and paprika powder.
After it has been prepared, cazuela de ave is traditionally served in a red clay pot known as greda. The succulent chicken should fall off the bone, while the vegetables should be sweet and soft, almost melting in the mouth. It is believed that this dish was derived from the indigenous Mapuche soup known as corri.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Machas a la parmesana is a typical Chilean dish consisting of razor clams that are topped with salt, white wine, butter, and parmesan cheese. The clams are then broiled until the cheese melts, and it is recommended to serve them immediately, preferably with a glass of white wine on the side.
This Chilean classic is typically served as an appetizer and it was invented by an Italian immigrant named Edoardo Melotti Ferrari in Viña del Mar in the 1950s.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Barros Luco is a simple Chilean sandwich that usually consists of thin slices of grilled beef steak topped with cheese (usually havarti) and served inside various buns and bread rolls. It got its unique name after the Chilean president Ramón Barros Luco, who was a great admirer of this satisfying sandwich.
Even though it is unclear whether it originated in the restaurant of the Chilean National Congress or the Confitería Torres, to this day Barros Luco remains as one of the most popular sandwich varieties in Chile. It is always served hot and can be found on the menus of many Chilean restaurants.
VARIATIONS OF Barros Luco
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Pichanga is a humble Chilean dish that is usually served in traditional eateries across the country. It consists of diced ham or salami, a variety of pickles, olives, cheese, tomatoes, and avocados. The dish is typically served as an appetizer, so people can nibble on these tiny food items while waiting for the main course to arrive, making pichanga an ideal dish for sharing with friends or family.
The name of the dish can be translated as mess, referring to a large variety of food on one plate.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Chacarero is one of the most popular Chilean sandwiches consisting of a fresh bread roll filled with pieces of beef steak or pork, green beans, tomato slices, and hot chili peppers. The name of the sandwich is derived from the Spanish word chacra, meaning farm or ranch, referring to the vegetables which are a key component of the sandwich.
Chacarero is so popular that it has even been named one of "the 13 most amazing sandwiches ever" by Time Magazine in 2014.