Chile - Local Foods you Must Try
*Before you read any further you need to understand our eating habits. We eat almost anything and everything put in front of us, and that includes street food. We came to Chile with a supply of diarrhea pills just in case, and praise the food gods, we never had to use them. We bought food from street vendors, markets, and even walked up to a woman’s house and bought bread right out of her kitchen. We are not afraid! BUT, if you are, use your best judgement, however you’re probably still safe with most things on the list. Enjoy!
Queso!
Any and all cheese you can get your hands on should be consumed. All the cheese we ate was ridiculously tasty and cheap! We didn’t get the names of any of the cheeses (of course…we were too excited to eat them), we were only able to identify them by their consistency. Our favorite came in an orange wax and was super soft (center photo). Best eaten using your fingers to dig out chunks while driving and paired with fresh bread and smoked salmon.
Produce
Produce is also ridiculously cheap in Chile. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! Cherries, raspberries, peaches, melons, avocados, buy them all. Plus your stomach will thank you for some decent nutrients and fiber after eating all that cheese.
This includes Chocolate Covered Strawberries! I’m sure you’ve had these before, but you can get a stick of them for about $1.50 USD. Is it just me, or do they taste better when they don’t break the bank for a half dozen?
Michelada
Don’t read what it is, just order it! Ok, I’ll tell you what it is, but you still have to try it. This curiously delicious concoction is essentially beer and lemon juice, with salt and merken spices around the rim. Think sour, salty, carbonated, a little spicy, but boozy all at the same time. Every restaurant puts their own spin on the Michelada. The first one we tried had WAY TOO MUCH lemon juice for our liking, nearly bringing me to tears it was so sour. We thought we would torture ourselves by drinking them throughout the trip, and lucky for us, they weren’t all that sour. We ended up reallllly loving them.
mate tea
We first saw someone drinking mate when we went rock climbing one chilly morning. They must have just poured hot water into their tiny cup because all I could see was steam coming out of it. Of course I thought it was smoke and not steam and the shape of the cup and the straw gives it the appearance of a large pipe at first glance, so I assumed they were smoking something... Really, they were just enjoying their morning mate as most locals do. Surprisingly, we couldn’t find it on a menu at any of the cafes we visited. We got to try it while visiting a Mapuche family in their Ruka. I really enjoy a good cup of tea, and thought this was DELICIOUS. Everyone makes theirs a little different, and the woman that made my tea added the fresh leaves on top (straight from her garden) which gave it a sweet taste. Typically it tastes a little bitter and is supposed to pack a decent amount of caffeine.
Mote con huesillo
This is a bit funky but worth trying. We were told that different countries in South America make it a little different. In Chile this sweet drink consists of toasted wheat and dried peaches, in a syrupy liquid. Did we love it? Not really. BUT, if we lived here, I could definitely see us caving on a hot day if a street vendor tempted us with cold, sweet mote.
Chilean Sopaipillas
These were FANTASTIC! The dough to this bread is made with Chilean pumpkin (zapallo) which gives it the orange tint and just a hint of sweetness. We had several variations and enjoyed all of them.
Alfajores
Mmmmm don’t miss out on these guys! Cookies with a milky caramel in the center, dipped in chocolate. The one in the picture was given to us on our walking tour in Valparaiso. We rang a gentleman’s doorbell and out he came with a plate full of these babies. For 280 pesos, or just over $0.40 USD, you’ll want to buy a bag of them!
COMPLETO
We are hotdog people. We love hotdogs and eat them whenever we can. If you haven’t guessed already, a completo is a hotdog. They serve them with all kinds of delicious toppings like avocado, sauerkraut, tomatoes, bacon. Basically you can find a completo with whatever your heart desires on top.
Pizza
Surprisingly to us, Chile had AMAZING pizza. There is a large Italian population in Chile, so of course they would bring their pizza skills with them. We found amazing pizza for great prices everywhere we went. Don’t be fooled by the most interesting sounding pizza on the menu! Some of it is a little funky, like this corn, ham, and cream sauce we ordered…. I guess that’s what you get when you only understand half of the words on the menu!
Ceviche
Oh yes, raw seafood. Even if you are a little nervous about eating “raw” seafood (although you could technically say the lime juice “cooks” it) you should give ceviche a try in Chile. They do an amazing job, and you can even find some with cooked pieces of seafood.
Chilean Corn Humitas
More street food that is worth trying. Not something we would eat regularly, but if you’re on the run and need some substance, look no further. It tastes, well, like corn. A little salsa on top would have been a game changer! For just a few hundred pesos, you can’t go wrong!
Pisco Sour
Another local drink you need to try once. I’m not a liquor person, but when in Chile! Right? Pisco is a type of brandy made in the winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. A Pisco Sour is a blend of Pisco, lemon juice, simple syrup and an egg white, which gives the drink its delicate layer of foam on top. Garnished with bitters.
Beef Jerky
Looks funky and kind of tastes funky. Much more dry than “American” jerky, but still has a decent beef flavor. Looks like tree bark but if you’re feeling something salty, it’s worth a try.
Pap Soda
Honestly, we thought this was pretty gross, but kept drinking it…. Kind of like a car crash, you can’t look away. That’s how our experience with Pap Soda was. It was terrible, but we kept drinking it to try and figure out what the flavor was. Supposedly it’s papaya flavored, but to us, it had hints of Pepto Bismol and….I really can’t tell you. Give it a try and let us know what you come up with.
Three weeks in Chile was not nearly enough time to eat our way through this amazing country. If we ever make it back, we will have plenty of completos to demolish, along with a variety of other food we didn’t get to.
Have you been to Chile and eaten something amazing that isn’t on our list? Leave us a comment so we can add it to our list of foods to try next time!
