Chilean cuisine centers on beef, chicken, fish and glorious seafood. National specialties include the parrillada, which means mixed grill; empanadas, an oven baked, light dough crust filled with yummy ingredients for either meat lovers or vegetarians; delicious Chilean salmon and trout, which are cooked in a variety of ways; and a wide, splendid variety of some the best seafood your taste-buds will ever savor.
Equally tasty is cazuela, a chicken or beef-based soup with potatoes and zapallo, a pumpkin-like squash, and a wonderful hot dish called pastel de choclo, which is a baked cornmeal dish with chicken or beef, chopped onion, one hard boiled egg and olives. This is a rather heavy dish best eaten when you are not planning a very active day.
Humitas, boiled corn paste wrapped in a corn husk, are a must eat. Locals eat them with sugar sprinkled on top. Caldillo de congrio is another typical dish that foreigners rave about. One of the most typical southern dishes is curanto, a catch-all stew of fish, seafood, shellfish, potatoes and different types of meat and sausages.
Finally, the variety of domestically grown fruit far exceeds that of tropical countries further north. If you order juice, it will most likely be 100% natural, squeezed fresh at that moment. On many highways throughout Chile, you will find fruit and vegetable stands with great prices and gorgeous fruit of every imaginable variety. The Chilean avocado is practically considered a staple item for Chileans as it is served with salads, on sandwiches, accompanying meat and as a meal in itself in a dish called palta reina, or queen avocado.
Chile's traditional cocktail is the pisco sour, made with pisco, lemon juice, sugar and egg-whites. And don't forget to order Chilean wine while dining out. Fine wines at great prices can be found in most any restaurant and include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay among other varieties. Normal tipping is 10%.
Equally tasty is cazuela, a chicken or beef-based soup with potatoes and zapallo, a pumpkin-like squash, and a wonderful hot dish called pastel de choclo, which is a baked cornmeal dish with chicken or beef, chopped onion, one hard boiled egg and olives. This is a rather heavy dish best eaten when you are not planning a very active day.
Humitas, boiled corn paste wrapped in a corn husk, are a must eat. Locals eat them with sugar sprinkled on top. Caldillo de congrio is another typical dish that foreigners rave about. One of the most typical southern dishes is curanto, a catch-all stew of fish, seafood, shellfish, potatoes and different types of meat and sausages.
Finally, the variety of domestically grown fruit far exceeds that of tropical countries further north. If you order juice, it will most likely be 100% natural, squeezed fresh at that moment. On many highways throughout Chile, you will find fruit and vegetable stands with great prices and gorgeous fruit of every imaginable variety. The Chilean avocado is practically considered a staple item for Chileans as it is served with salads, on sandwiches, accompanying meat and as a meal in itself in a dish called palta reina, or queen avocado.
Chile's traditional cocktail is the pisco sour, made with pisco, lemon juice, sugar and egg-whites. And don't forget to order Chilean wine while dining out. Fine wines at great prices can be found in most any restaurant and include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay among other varieties. Normal tipping is 10%.