Chile – What should you eat?

Chilean gastronomy comes mainly from the combination of traditional Spanish cuisine, Indigenous Mapuche culture and local ingredients, with later important influences from other European cuisines, particularly Germany, France and Italy.

• Carmenere: emblematic wine of Chile, much like Malbec is to Argentina
• Completo: a huge hotdog with various toppings. The Italiano version includes avocado!
• Empanadas: yes, like every other latino country! But here you’ll also find them filled with mariscos (seafood)
• Machas a la parmesana: saltwater clam with grilled Parmesan on top, really good with a little lemon on top!
• Pastel de choclo: corn dish mixed with ground beef, raisins, olives and hard boiled eggs. Not my favorite to be honest..
• Pebre: seasoning made with tomatoes at the base and topped off with chopped onions, chili, chives, garlic, coriander, oil, and vinegar. It is usually served in a little clay dish with bread and has a nice spicy bite
• Reinata: fish typical in Santiago, can be eaten a la plancha or fried. The great thing about this fish is that there are almost no bones!
• Sopaipilla: flat breads made from a mixture of pumpkins, butter and flour, flattened into circles and fried. Usually you add some mustard and ketchup on it, greasy but delicious for a little snack
• Terremoto: literally meaning earthquake, since you are left with legs feeling very shaky. This cocktail consists of pineapple ice-cream, mixed with a sweet, fermented white wine called Pipeño and grenadine. They also might spice it up with some pisco or Fernet. Don’t drink to many, it’s pretty strong even though it’s really sweet!
• Tres leches: meaning three milks, refering to the three different kinds of milk in which the sponge cake is soaked (whole milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk), complemented by a light toffee sauce and usually cinnamon.