Vegan Products in Chile

Marraqueta

Most bread in Chile contains butter or lard or milk. But there is one that is accidentally vegan; the marraqueta, pan frances or pan batido. It is a white flour bread made out of yeast, water, salt and white wheat flour. And is one of the to most common breads in Chile. But it is not only typical in Chile but also in Bolivia (known as pan de batalla), Peru and el Salvador. The marraqueta characterizes through its form of four breads, which are assembled and can easily be broken apart, and its crunchiness. Did you know: Chile is, after Germany, the country with the second most consumption of bread in the world.

Mote con Huesillos

This is a delicious drink, that looks sweeter than it is. It is made of a broth of sugar and peaches with added fresh cooked husked wheat. However in very seldom cases it is made with honey instead of sugar. As the drink is served cold it is common to find in the central part of Chile during summer time. Mostly it is sold on the street on rolling carts or stands. Depending on the vendor you can get different sizes of glasses and have it with or without the peach.

Soy milk

Finding soy milk in Chile is similar to finding soy milk in Europe. It is available in Supermarkets. The Unimarc, which is leading in the south, has Ades soy milk, sometimes. If you’re lucky the natural one isn’t sold out. However there is one difference, you have to search it next to the fruit juices in tetra-pack. Both Lider and Santa Isabel (Cencosud) do not only have soy milk, but also rice milk, almond milk and sometimes other vegetable milks. And you almost feel like in heaven, when you see, that there are different brands and even organic ones. You will find these either near the dairy milk or in a separate dietetic area.

Soy yogurt

Today I found a vegan yogurt in the supermarket and of course I had to try it. It is by the brand lonco leche, which also has soy milk. I only found one flavour; mango-maracuya; but I wonder if there is more… The consistence and look is very yogurt like. The taste is okay, I found it a bit too sweet, but this might be my impression only or it is dependent from the flavour. As a former yogurt lover I was pleased with it. And with its 340$ it is in a good price range. I found it in a Lider express, but as Lonco Leche is widely available it might be that other supermarkets also sell it.

Import Products in Chile

There are certain German import products available in Chile, not only German but also stuff from the US and Canada. But I have never been to North America, so I can’t tell you which. Depending on the supermarket you may find different things. Lider for example was sold to Walmart and therefore sells some of their products. Whereas Santa Isabel belongs to Cencosud a Latin American chain and Unimarc is a Chilean Chain. Therefore it has a certain logic, that Lider has the broadest offer of vegan products. Most of the German products on the other hand I found in Santa Isabel. For example in Puerto Varas I found German organic tofu, in Valdivia and Santiago I found Marzipankartoffeln (and other Marzipan, but that wasn’t vegan). I saw several times the German organic brand Rapunzel, for example in Super Frut in Puerto Natales (and most probably in a Santa Isabel as well). Both Lider and Santa Isabel offer the organic Rice drink by the Italian brand Scotti. In a lot of beauty shops that sell natural cosmetics you can find furthermore Weleda products (which are mainly vegan) and the French brand Le Petit Olivier which is also vegan. In Santiago I even found menstruation cups by the German brand MiLuna. So, feel like home in central Chile!

South American Super Food

I found these three powders in a shop. The Acai berry comes from the amazon region and is know for its high level of antioxidants and its energizing effect. The Maqui berry was consumed by the Mapuche and is know to have high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols. The Camu Camu berry was know by the indigenes of the amazon and contains Vitamin C to keep the immune system healthy.

Street Markets

Going to a street market in Santiago is a must as a vegan. There is no other place where you can find so much fruits and vegetables on one spot. Furthermore it is a cheap way of buying food, and you will see, so much other stuff, including the unique experience of daily life. Daily markets are open for certain hours of the day, like 9 – 16 on all days of the week except Mondays. Ask a local to find the market in your quarter. I just came back with 1,5 kilos of plums, 6 bananas and each 500 grams of blueberries and raspberries all for about 3000 Chilean pesos (ca. 4.70 Dollars).

Chilean Food Haul

Today I went shopping (Lider) with the daily dozens of Dr. Greger in my mind and this is what I got:

• fresh basil
• tomatoes
• frozen berries
• false meatballs (I wanted to try them out)
• plums and kiwis
• cabbage
• oats
• soy milk
• walnuts
• dried apricots (to boost my iron)

furthermore I still have:

• bananas
• banana chips
• brown rice
• lentils
• chia
• sen-cha tea
• nori (which I read today I really shouldn’t eat because …)
• whole wheat spagetti
• tumeric & pepper

So I thought about making a big rice-lentils-cabbage-tomato-basil-salad with some false meatballs. But I will do that tomorrow because I first have to finish my tomato-carrot-beans with pasta. By the way today I spent around 30 $. Due to the reason that I bought the veggies in the supermarket and bought some unnecessary expensive food like the false meatballs. Normally I spend 20 $ for a three to four days shopping.

PS: You see I eat oats, fruits, chia and soy milk for breakfast. By the way I recently found out that the ades soy milk by Coca-Cola contains sugar even though it’s the one with natural flavor.

Shampoo & Conditioner

Run out of shampoo or conditioner, while traveling in Chile? No problem! There is a Chilean brand that is vegan. And there is even a big variety… So feel like in paradise and choose your favourite. Familand can be bought on street markets, in supermarkets, minimarkets and drugstores. Only negative thing, there are no small sized packs.