Arroz con queso is a traditional dish with a strikingly white color. It consists of rice (preferrably short and plump, such as Arborio), milk, and semi-firm white cheese. Rich and creamy, this popular dish can often be found alongside churrasco dishes and other grilled meat dishes, and it is recommended to serve arroz con queso while it is still hot.
MOST ICONIC Arroz con queso
Ají de fideos is a spicy Bolivian dish originating from Cochabamba, prepared with a combination of pasta noodles, potatoes, ground chilis, ground meat, peas, carrot and fresh herbs such as cumin, oregano, and parsley. The dish is quite easy to prepare and it can be made in a single pot, which makes it quite popular at festivities and celebrations.
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Chairo is a traditional thick soup with pre-Colombian origins. It is made with the unique Bolivian chuño starch, meat (usually beef and lamb), cooked wheat, and vegetables such as carrots, onions, and corn. The soup is often additionally flavored with cumin, black pepper, and garlic.
When served, chairo is garnished with fresh chopped mint. It is recommended to serve the soup while it is still piping hot, preferably in clay bowls.
MOST ICONIC Chairo
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Humitas is a dish popular throughout South America, especially in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The dish consists of corn cakes that are cooked in corn husks. In Argentina, humitas are usually made with corn, onions, and spices, and depending on the region, milk, red peppers, cheese, and spring onions might also be added to the combination, which is wrapped in corn husks and boiled.
In Ecuador, humitas are steamed and are usually made with ground corn, eggs, onions, and variable spices. The Chilean version adds basil and butter to corn and onions, and their humitas are boiled or baked. In Peru and Bolivia, people also prepare sweet humitas with added cinnamon and raisins.
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Sopa de mondongo is a term that is widely used all across Central and South America when referring to a hearty tripe and vegetable soup. The star of the dish is beef or pork tripe, the rather tough edible part of animal stomach which is cut into smaller pieces and cooked with other ingredients in a flavorful broth.
Different versions of the soup are found all across Latin America, where it has been adapted with locally available ingredients and spices. Typically, sopa de mondongo employs plain and sweet potatoes, cassava, corn, cabbage, plantains, onions, sliced avocado, and generous amounts of chopped cilantro, which is used as a garnish.
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Sajta de pollo is a Bolivian dish consisting of chicken, onions, tomatoes, peas, and yellow chili peppers (most often, aji amarillo). It is typically flavored with parsley, celery, black pepper, garlic, and cumin. The dish is traditionally prepared for Carnival and the All Saints' Day.
It is similar to picante de pollo, main difference being the type of chili peppers used, the level of spiciness, and the resulting flavor profile. Sajta de pollo is milder and creamier, while picante de pollo is spicier and richer. When served, the sauce-drenched sajta de pollo is usually accompanied by potatoes.
MOST ICONIC Sajta de pollo
Sanduíche de chola is a Bolivian sandwich filled with roasted pork, salsa, llajua sauce, and vegetables such as carrots and onions. The ingredients are usually tucked inside large sandwich buns. This sandwich is mostly eaten in the afternoon and paired with a cold beer on the side.
The word chola in its name refers to cholitas, the indigenous women who typically sell it on the streets of La Paz.
MOST ICONIC Sanduíche de chola
T'anta wawa is a sweet Andean roll that is shaped like a baby wrapped in a blanket, made and eaten mostly in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. It is traditionally prepared on November 1, or All Saints' Day, and consumed on that day or the day later, depending on the community.
This bread roll is usually filled with candied fruit, anise, raisins, and cinnamon. It was originally used as an offering to dead children, so the tombs of girls were adorned with baby-shaped t'anta wawa, while the boys' tombs were presented with rolls shaped like horses.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “8 Worst Rated Bolivian Foods” list until March 27, 2025, 1,215 ratings were recorded, of which 450 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.