Our 20 favorite Chilean culinary specialties

Prepare your taste buds for a gustative trip to Chile! Here's our top of 20 Chilean culinary specialties.

For some, the desire to travel lies in the temptation to discover new landscapes, populations with unknown customs, architectures dating back centuries and to accumulate a maximum of photos of the world...

For others, a good reason to travel would be to learn a new musical culture, to go hunting local artists and to perfect their playlists. Finally, for gourmets, travelling is especially the opportunity to awaken your taste buds! Taste new product associations, discover the typical dishes of each country...

It is for all these reasons that Wanderlix now offers you to find, for multiple destinations, our top of the most beautiful photos and our top of the culinary specialties!

Today we embark on a trip to South America to discover Chilean culinary specialties. From the traditional curanto al hoyo to the apéro at the Pisco, the Chile to fill the taste buds of the most greedy...

¡Buen provecho!

A little hunger?

1. The completeo

Let's start our culinary journey in Chile with a delicious mouth: Completo. This kind of Chilean hot dog, even bigger than the original, is a very popular and typical sandwich of the country.

If there are several variations, the Completo is usually composed of an elongated bread filled with sausage, with avocado, tomatoes and various sauces: an exquisite and surprising combination. To taste this specialty, go to carritos From the corner of the street!

2. The empanadas

How to present Chilean culinary specialties without mentioning the famous Empanadas? Incontournable, these gourmet slippers are loved throughout the country and throughout Latin America in general.

If they are from Spain , the Empanadas accommodate each country with their own decline. Often roasted with meat, there are various varieties of vegetables, melted cheese, seafood and peppers. A pleasure that we can agree at any time of the day!

3. Humita

Also popular at Peru , in Argentina or Ecuador , the Umita presents itself as a small gift packaging. Composed of some vegetables, corn and cheese, the preparation is then wrapped and cooked in papillote in corn leaves. A nice little packet, nutritious and economic!

4. Chapalele

Chilean culinary specialty that tastes salty or sweet, Chapalele derives its origins from the traditional cuisine of Chiloe .

Prepared with wheat flour and potatoes, these treats appear in the form of small balls. The salty version usually accompanies the traditional Curanto, while the sweet version tastes during the taste. You can't just miss them!

5. Machas with parmesana

For seafood lovers, this specialty of Chilean gastronomy will be your ideal snack!

Originally from Viña del Mar, this palourdes made from white wine is a simple and gourmet recipe. Finally, everything is cooked in the oven with cheese on top: melting and tasty!

6. The comb

Small, fresh and tasty sauce, Pebre is the Chilean aperitif par excellence. Indeed, it is found everywhere, both to start the meal and to accompany the barbecue, from the cheapest restaurant to the most luxurious.

Composed of coriander, garlic, onions, chili pepper and tomato, this small sauce is tasted with bread, on which a tip of butter is spread. Simple and delicious, this recipe is a must-have Chilean culinary specialty!

Main dishes

7. The cazuela

Typical dish of Chile but also popular in Argentina, Cazuela is a sort of stew that can be compared to our fire-pot.

Smooth and comforting, this traditional food is made from beef or chicken meat, simmered with various vegetables. In Chile, the Cazuela de Pollo is usually found, the chicken-based dish. A family and authentic recipe that tastes throughout the year.

8. Curanto al hoyo

Traditional meal from the island of Chiloé, Curanto al hoyo is much more than a Chilean culinary specialty, it is a real celebration dish!

Traditionally, the Curanto prepares in a hole dug into the ground. Then they are stones heated by a fire of wood that allow you to cook an assortment of seafood, meat and vegetables. All is covered by leaves of nalca , for a unique fragrance.

Moreover, the name “Curanto” comes from the term curantû, which means “heated stake” in mapuche language. But reassure yourself, this dish can be simplified and cooked at home, in a large cocoon.

9. Sholo pastel

Influenced by the Spanish parmentary hachis, Pastel de Choclo is a talented revisited recipe by the Chilean cooks. To do this, potatoes were replaced by corn polenta.

Traditionally prepared in a bowl of terracotta, Pastel de Choclo is a meat, onion, salt, pepper and cumin preparation. All is then golden in the oven. Finally, hard eggs, olives or chicken pieces are sometimes added at the end of cooking. The result: a greedy and well-common gratin!

10. The charquicán

Traditionally prepared by the Mapuches, a native people, Charquicán is a Chilean culinary specialty that is similar to a stew. This consists of meat, potato, green beans and corn grains. This dish may also contain tomato and emited coca leaves. A comforting mix, ideal to warm up during a winter evening!

11. The ceviche

Celebrity of South American gastronomy, please discover the famous ceviche! If Chile and Peru fight for the very origin of the dish, the recipe remains the same: a mixture of fresh fish marinated with lemon, with various ingredients such as onion or coriander.

In short, a fresh and easy-to-use meal. But even better enjoyed on a beautiful small terrace of a traditional restaurant on the seaside!

12. The Caldillo de congrio

Very popular throughout the country, the Caldillo de Congrio is somehow the Chilean bouillabaisse. Indeed, this stew is prepared based on fish, simmered with small vegetables. Finally, the touch of white wine ensures its taste so tasty.

A little sweet

13. La Leche Asada

Chilean culinary delicacies will also fill the taste buds of sweet amateurs. Nommons to start the Leche Asada, typical Chilean dessert par excellence. This caramelized and flavoured flan is one of the most served desserts in Chile. A simple recipe and we can't get any more expensive!

14. The manjar

If the Dulce de Leche wrestles in Argentina, Chile did not say its last word. Indeed, the Chileans are rafting this famous milk jam, called locally Manjar.

This greed is made with milk, sugar and vanilla, for a creamy caramel. And if we eat it in the small spoon or on bread in the morning, we also find it in many dessert and cake recipes, such as the famous Alfajor. A must-have softness if you are on the Chilean lands!

15. Pan de Pascua

Delicious and comforting, the Pan de Pascua is a subtle blend of fruits confits, grapes, nuts, honey and sometimes ginger. A custom much more than a cake, which is shared with the family and offers itself to those who are loved at the end of the year.

Born in Germany , the tradition of Christmas bread then spread throughout the world. Ancient origins that today make the happiness of the Chileans and travellers who decide to spend the Christmas holidays in Chile.

16. Rotos

Small typical sweetness of Chile, the Calzones Rotos are somehow the most successful cookies of Chilean grandmothers!

These small traditional doughs are first fried, then covered with ice sugar; a greedy that makes the happiness of the little ones as the greatest. If they enjoy themselves at any time of the day, they are even better at the corner of the fire after a beautiful day exploring the natural wonders of Patagonia.

Typical drinks

17. The mote con huesillo

The Mote con Huesillo is a unique Chilean culinary specialty, a combination of drinks and desserts. And for cause, you can’t taste this sweetness anywhere else than in Chile.

A refreshing drink very appreciated in the summer, the Mote con Huesillo is prepared with peaches and wheat. Traditionally, the preparation consists of rehydrated dried peaches for one night and then cook them for about 30 minutes in sweet water, sometimes with cinnamon.

All is served in a large fresh glass with a spoon to mix peaches, juice and mote (wrapped). An ideal refreshment by a beautiful sunny day, which is found in the streets of the whole country, sold on the small stands of street merchants. In short, a sweetness that you will not miss on your trip to Chilean lands!

18. Cola de mono

Literally translated by “pee keel”, the Cola de Mono is a typical Chilean cocktail based on life water, coffee, milk, vanilla, clove, cinnamon and sugar. To taste this delicious and surprising blend, go to Chile during the holiday season.

Indeed, the Cola de Mono is a sweetness that can be enjoyed during Christmas and the day of the year. Perfect to accompany a part of Pan de Pascua, this cocktail is served well fresh. For at this time of year, unlike France , it is the warmth that prevails in Chile!

19. The pisco sour

If the Cola de Mono enjoys only during the holidays, no panic: the Pisco Sour is faithful and present throughout the year! It is somehow the national cocktail of Chile, although Peru also claims it.

This festive drink is prepared based on Pisco, the very name of alcohol that composes it. It is a life water based on grapes, the degree of alcohol can be between 30° and 45°. Then we add to the Pisco the “Sour”, i.e. a dose of lemon juice, then 2 teaspoons of cane syrup and a beaten egg white finger. The whole thing is finally served on a coated ice bed.

To be consumed in moderation, the Pisco Sour is the typical cocktail to try on your trip to Chile. In addition, other mixtures exist to vary the pleasures. Indeed, the Chileans love to add coca to the Pisco, a variant called “Piscola”.

20. Terremoto

Let’s finish our selection of Chilean specialties with Terremoto, a cocktail that will make the happiness of the most greedy and horniest of us!

This alcoholic beverage is made from Pipeño, a mixture of fermented wine. Then we add a sorbet ball to pineapple. Finally, the preparation ends at the grenadine syrup. A detonating mix that testifies to its very name. Indeed, Terremoto means " earthquake".

According to legend, the cocktail was invented in 1985, the year of a striking earthquake. But any person who has tasted this drink will admit that the soil begins to tan under the feet once the ingested liquid. Especially as often, the Terremoto commands itself into a large carafe to transform itself into "el cataclismo"...