Traditional Chilean Food
Chile spans over 2,500 miles along South America's southwestern coast. Most of the country, which is only 109 miles wide on average, is mountainous; most of the population resides in the fertile central valley. Despite what you might guess from the country's moniker, Chilean food is not particularly spicy. It shows the influence of both the original Spanish settlers and later waves of European immigrants including French, British and German populations.
Empanadas are the most typical dish among Chileans.
They are prepared from oven or fried, and from different fillings such as meat, chicken, cheese, seafood and vegetables. The chileans' favorite empanadas are meat, cheese, seafood mix, cheese-shrimp, crab, goat cheese-spinach and mushroom-buttery cheese. They cost between $2 to $4 dollars. |
'Paila Marina' is a traditional seafood soup or light stew usually served in a paila (earthenware bowl). It usually contains a shellfish stock base cooked with different kinds of shellfish and fish.These are complemented with a variety of herbs and spices such as paprika and parsley.
Average value $6 to $10 dollars. |
Chilean Sea Bass is white and flaky, and tastes similar to bass.
If there’s one thing you should know about Chilean sea bass, it’s that it’s not sea bass. Its real name is actually Patagonian toothfish, which is so unappetizing-sounding that even though it’s delicious, nobody was buying it. So in 1977 a fish wholesaler named Lee Lantz, after considering the names Pacific sea bass and South American sea bass, went and completely invented the name Chilean sea bass. More recently, Antarctic toothfish was added to the Chilean sea bass umbrella, but the Patagonian variety is much more common. The Patagonian toothfish is actually a species of cod icefish, or nothothens. It’s found in the cold, deep waters of the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, and can live at depths of 12,600 feet and temperatures of 34 degrees. It can live up to 50 years, reach lengths of more than seven feet, and has an average weight of about 15 to 22 pounds. In most of South America it’s actually called merluza negra. In France it’s known as legine australe, whereas Japan calls it mero, while in Chile, it’s called bacalao de profundidad. Average: $15 - $18 dollars. |
Pastel de Choclo is a layered pie, usually made in a deep dish or a clay paila with chopped beef at the bottom prepared “al pino” (a thick stew of minced or chopped beef, chopped onions and seasoning), chicken, olives and a hard-boiled egg, topped with a mixture of ground fresh corn and basil, and baked in the oven.
Average value $6 to $10 dollars. |
Sopaipillas are simple flat breads that are fried. They are made from a mixture of pumpkins, butter, and flour, flattened into circles. These fritters are popular street foods and are found all over the country. They are a versatile snack that can be eaten sweet or savory.
The most popular way we saw them eaten was savory. Most often, sopaipillas are eaten towards the end of the day and topped with either pebre or mustard and ketchup. Average: $25-$50 cents. |