The 20 most famous dishes of Chile
Chilean cooking stretches along a long Pacific coastline below the Andes, combining rich seafood with corn and beans and Spanish, Mapuche and German-immigrant traditions.
1Empanadas de Pino
Chile's large baked empanadas filled with "pino" — minced beef with lots of onion, cumin and paprika, plus an…
2Pastel de Choclo
A summer bake of pino, chicken, egg and olives under a layer of fresh basil-scented corn paste, sprinkled…
3Cazuela de Vacuno
A rustic soup where each bowl holds a big piece of beef, a wedge of squash, corn and a potato, with rice and…
4Curanto en Olla
Chiloé Island's feast: shellfish, meats, potatoes and potato pancakes steamed together under leaves — here in…
5Completo Italiano
Chile's giant hot dog topped with chopped tomato, mashed avocado and mayonnaise — in the colours of the…
6Sopaipillas
Fried pumpkin-dough discs, eaten savoury with pebre or sweet soaked in chancaca syrup on rainy days.
7Charquicán
A mashed stew of squash, potato, corn and minced beef, topped with a fried egg — of Andean origin.
8Porotos Granados
A summer stew of fresh shelling beans, squash and grated corn with basil.
9Pebre
A fresh Chilean salsa of tomato, onion, coriander and chili, served with bread and barbecue.
10Mote con Huesillo
A popular summer drink of dried peaches stewed in caramel syrup with cooked husked wheat at the bottom of the…
11Chorrillana
A mountain of fries topped with beef strips, fried onions and eggs — a sharing dish from Valparaíso.
12Machas a la Parmesana
Chilean razor clams baked in their shells with cheese, butter and lemon until golden.
13Caldillo de Congrio
A conger eel soup with potatoes, tomato and cream, to which poet Pablo Neruda dedicated an ode.
14Paila Marina
A coastal soup packed with shellfish and fish, served bubbling in a clay bowl and considered restorative.
15Chacarero
A sandwich of thin beef slices with green beans, tomato and chili in a round bun.
16Lomo a lo Pobre
Steak with fries, caramelised onions and two fried eggs — despite the name "poor man's style", it's a lavish…
17Leche Asada
A simple baked custard without caramel, which forms a brown skin on top — Chile's homely dessert.
18Kuchen de Murta
A fruit tart left by German settlers in southern Chile, made with wild berries or apple on a shortcrust with…
19Calzones Rotos
Knotted fried dough sprinkled with icing sugar, eaten with coffee in winter.
20Pastel de Jaiba
Crab meat in a creamy sauce with bread and cheese, baked in small clay dishes or the shell.