Chilean Cuisine

Central Chilean Cuisine

The long stretched out Chile has very different regions, because there are partly big distances between them. While the northern Chilean cuisine is very influenced by the Andean cuisine, the cuisine in Patagonia is influenced by the Mapuche and the immigrants from Europe. Both cuisines are treated separately. The island of Chiloé, on the other hand, has its very own cuisine. Therefore we focus here on the central Chilean cuisine and Chilean fast food.
It has been strongly influenced by the indigenous people and European immigrants. In the past, farm life was the center of attention, as agriculture played an important economic role. These traditions are still alive and so is the food. Due to the fertile soils in central Chile, the markets show a rich offer, ranging from peaches, avocados, raspberries, potatoes to fresh herbs. Generally speaking, Chilean cuisine is characterized by casseroles, soups and stuffed dishes. The latter are sometimes vegetarian but very rarely vegan. Nevertheless, even in small villages you can always find something to eat. Because the many vegetable cream soups are simply super delicious. And in cities vegetarian or vegan restaurants are not uncommon. So you can enjoy the traditional dishes in their vegan forms. Humitas are prepared with butter or lard, but sometimes also with vegetable oil, so just ask.
As in Argentina, breakfast consists of rolls, jam, instant coffee or tea. You should note that the popular Hallulla contains lard (see bread chapter). The lunch menu consists mainly of soup and a main course with rice as a side dish. Hot sauces are popular in Chile, as well as lemon wedges and mayonnaise to spice up the dishes. Dinner or Onze (Chilean snack) is then at 19 o’clock.

Chilote Cuisine

Chiloé is an epicenter of several potato species and has the greatest diversity of potatoes outside the Andes. Therefore, many traditional Chiloé dishes are based on potatoes, fish and seafood. The cuisine is influenced by the indigenous people, Chonos and Huilliches, of the island. Typical are earth oven and asado, which is made of lamb, as everywhere in Patagonia. A very typical dish is curanto. Fish, clams, Magellan mussels, large barnacles, meat and chili potatoes are wrapped in leaves and baked covered on hot stones in an earth oven.

Patagonian Cuisine

Patagonia begins both in Argentina and Chile south of the 38th parallel. That’s roughly near Neuquén and Temuco. Patagonia is and has always been an uneconomical country, which is why many sheep have always been kept, much to the chagrin of Patagonia’s nature, because the bite of the sheep has uprooted many native plants, while in comparison the bite of the guanacos is gentler and the plants can continue to grow. Therefore, in certain areas, rehabilitation is underway so that plants like Calafate can grow again.
Despite everything, lamb dominates the diet here, in more fertile areas (lake district), where there is plenty of fresh water and forests, there is trout and game. On the coast, seafood and fish are on the menu. On Isla Navarino, giant sea crab and beaver are the speciality. North American beavers were introduced by man in the last century and are now an invasive plague as they displace the native animals. That is why there is a bounty on their heads. The Patagonian cuisine shows Mapuche influences. Examples are merken, a mixture of spices, and kallongka, also known as Mapuche chicken. Pecorino cheese and eggs are also part of daily consumption. Vegetables are generally rare in Patagonia, as they have to be imported from other regions. In Chilean rural Patagonia, you can usually get vegetables that were not sold in other regions, including avocados, onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, apples and occasionally peaches. Around the lake area of Puerto Varras and Bariloche, the cuisine has also taken on a very German touch through the 19th century immigrants. Here you can find among other things many “German” cakes and sauerkraut.
But you can also get dishes from the other regions of the two countries. So pizza, pasta and empanadas are always available in Argentina. It is the same on the Chilean side with Completo, Pichanga etc. In larger towns there are foreign cuisines, such as Asian and Mexican.

Chilean Junk Food

Chile has its own junk food tradition. The Churrasco Italiano is a beef sandwich topped with avocado, diced tomatoes and mayonnaise. A variation of this is the Chacarero, which is topped with green beans and tomatoes. The Lomito Alemán is a pork sandwich with sauerkraut, tomatoes and mayonnaise. Choripan is a roll with a sausage, usually chorizo or longaniza. But the best known is the Completo Italiano, which also has the tricolore. It is a hot dog with avocado, diced tomatoes and mayonnaise. The Completo Americano also contains pickles, pickled carrots and onions and sauerkraut.
Empanadas are also popular in Chile. But here they are much bigger than in other countries and can fill half a plate. They are usually filled with beef, cheese, ham and cheese, seafood, onions, lobster or cheese, tomatoes and basil. So they are not vegan by nature either.
Other junk food dishes are lomo a lo pobre, pichanga, pastel de choclo or chorrillana, a word that describes a dish with a lot of calories (all non-vegan).

Vegan dishes

  • Porotos granados (sometimes with meat broth or milk)
  • Porotos granados con mazamorra (sometimes with butter)
  • Ensalada de Quinoa
  • Arroz graneado
  • Marraqueta
  • Mote con Huesillo
  • Pebre
  • Salsa Verde
  • Salsa Americana
  • Chancho en Piedra

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