"More heavy gravy?"

When someone says, "Chile," what comes to mind? Beaches? Agriculture? Mining accidents? Chili?

Nobody ever seems to think cuisine. But it doesn't have to be that way. Read this and try making them at home. Feed these dishes to your small children. These local favorites are on almost every menu in the country and my goodness, they ought to be on every menu in the world. Even the specialty restaurants here have their own take on these Chilean staples.

There are two options for lunch. The churrasco (left) and the completo (right). The churrasco is a bun piled with avocado, tomato, mayonnaise, ham, and some sort of unbreaded and fried cow meat. And it's huge. The completo comes in a dozen or so varieties but always consists of bun, hot-dog of the cheapest kind, avocado, tomato, and mayonnaise. Notice how the wiener is completely concealed within the bun. This speaks directly to the conservative nature of the Chileans. None of that vulgar dangle here.



The chorillana is another favorite. As you can see, its a base of french fries topped with that same fried cow meat, chorizo, onions, and fried eggs. It's big enough for two incredibly hungry Americans, or one peckish Chilean. Chorillana also has a little cousin called pichanga, which consists of french fries, fried meat, cheese and pickled mixed vegetables.


Fish. Any species. They have em all. Fried or grilled, it's all fresh and delicious.

Seaweed. And not that thin stuff used in sushi. This is that rope-like seaweed that washes ashore in the Pacific Northwest. That stuff with the ball on one end we've jumped on and popped. Here, it's air dried, bundled and eaten like beef jerky. It removes your hunger.


Empanadas - the South American pastry cornerstone. Here they are savory, very large and usually filled with stewed beef, onions, hard-boiled egg, and an olive (with pit). One is a meal. There is rumored to be an empanada stand just outside of Santiago that boasts a 1kg specimen. Tara, my parents and I are planning on finding this place in a few days.

Every dinner must have beer. Forget the wine, that's for exporting to the gringos and Asians. Here they've got a healthy selection of cheap lagers, and a dozen or so artisanal brewers. Something for everyone.

Now you may wonder, "Gee, that food sounds unhealthy. In fact it sounds exclusively like bar food." Well, you would not be alone in saying that. Every night on the news there seems to be an exposé on obesity or the nation's incredible mayonnaise consumption (the average Chilean consumes 1.7kg a year.) But the way I see it, they've earned their quality of life.  And besides, they live a "highly active lifestyle."