Merquén or merkén is a Chilean spice made with a long, pointed chili pepper called aji, caciocavra, cacho de cabra, or goat’s horn pepper as the key ingredient. The peppers are grown throughout the Araucanía region and are picked in February, when they turn from green to red.
They are then dried in the sun until they develop a violet color. The dried peppers are smoked, then hung from ceilings over a wood fire. After the second drying in the sun, these peppers are ground in a stone mortar or in an automatic grinder. The powder is combined with smoked coriander seeds and sea salt, and the spice blend should contain at least 70% of the powder and no more than 20% salt.
The spice blend accentuates the rich and earthy flavor of the peppers, and it is generally more smoky and flavorful than spicy and hot. Read more
Coming from the gastronomy of the Mapuche indigenous people, merkén is used as a spice rub for meat, sprinkled on pizza, mixed into pebre salsa, or used in mani merkén, a snack of roasted peanuts seasoned with merkén.
For a traditional Chilean side dish, it is recommended to try puré picante – mashed potatoes seasoned with this unique spice blend. Nowadays, the use of merkén is slowly declining because it is often considered a symbol of poverty in the country.
However, the spice has turned up as a twist on the traditional Chilean aperitif known as pisco sour, where merkén is lightly sprinkled on top of the cocktail glass.
Part of
Sánguche de potito
Sánguche de potito is a traditional sandwich originating from Chile, and it's especially popular in Santiago. The sandwich usually consists of a marraqueta bun ... Read more
