Chilean food

This is a post which really needs another tab open in your browser. A tab with this flickr post.

Time to talk about Chilean food. I've written a bit on empanadas, which are scrumptious and popular. But one of my favorite street foods are the candied peanuts they sell at Nuts4Nuts stands. They cook them up in sugar and the bags of maní are still warm when you buy them. I think I am addicted. The Nuts4Nuts phenomenon really captivated my interest when I came across Nuts5Nuts, and later Nuts7Nuts, demonstrating either a kind of numerical arms race or a failure to grasp the witty marketing tool that is the classic 4 name. In any case, I have hunted for Nuts6Nuts, and am convinced it isn't visible to muggles. Or maybe the guy who made 7 was just a big risk taker and skipped 6 altogether.

Let's talk condiments. First off, Chileans love salt. There is no pepper on tables, neither in restaurants nor households. But there is always salt. Most meals are an invitation to dump salt on every item on your plate. Popular condiments for sandwiches and meats include mayo, ají, mustard and ketchup. Mayo here is globbed on in massive quantities. Ají is a sauce, with the consistency of ketchup, made from hot chilies, and it has a little smokey hint to it too. Ketchup and mustard are very sweet and lack the acidic bite they have in the states.

But I digress.

Chilean salad is another unique item. The salads themselves are quite normal, with mixed leafy veggies and an assortment of other toppings. But when you eat with a family, the salad dressing is standard: lemon juice, vegetable oil and salt. This dressing is also used on tomato/onion salads. Some take it as a Chilean tradition, but a Chilean once explained to me that this dressing came about only because those were the only ingredients available during the Allende-Pinochet era(1970's and 80s), when Chile was suffering an economic meltdown coupled with huge social upheaval and eventually secret police and a military imposed curfew. It's really interesting how history can change food culture so radically.

Seafood here rocks. The Humboldt Current brings cold, nutrient rich water to Chile's coast and with it an abundance of life. Which we eat. The widest Chile ever gets is 430km (265mi) wide, so fish is shipped fresh from the cost. Merluza, reineta, corvina, congrio, and salmón are just a few fish you'll find, plus octopi, every kind of shellfish you can imagine, lobster from the Juan Fernandez Islands, squid, sea urchins, you name it. I really love ceviche, a lemon soaked fish or shellfish dish.



Chileans love asados. A barbecue, but different, the asado is as much ritual as meal. Once the charcoal is going, longaniza hits the grill. This, paired with bread, constitutes the first course: choripan (from chorizo, sausage, and pan, bread). Then the real meat hits the fire. Pork and beef rules this realm. Often the whole group hangs out by the barbecue and eats pieces of meat sliced off the big hunk as it cooks. No sitting required. It should be noted that the only spice I have ever seen a chilean add to meat on a grill is salt. Tons of salt, and I have seen it every time.

Let's talk coffee real quick. Nescafe is standard. Instant. Always. You can get real coffee at restaurants or cafes, but it comes in espresso form. No drip coffee here.

I'll finish this up with a little info on the completo. It's a hotdog with avocado, tomato, and mayo on top. It's the cheapest thing on every menu, and it's filling. The best part is that with all the toppings you skip the hotdog taste.



Check out the Flickr for some good shots and a description of charqui.

I'll conclude by saying that I have enjoyed the majority of food here. Nevertheless, I look forward to lowering my beef intake, drinking drip coffee, and Christmas cookies. I'm counting on you, mom!