Chilean cuisine represents the country’s historical
influences as well as its local indigineous ingredients. Chile is especially
noted for its richness in both variety and quality of fish and seafood. Chile
has also been producing wines for over 400 years now.
Empanadas, or folded meat pies, are widely reknown as Chile’s
national dish. The classic Chilean empanada is filled with seasoned, minced
meat and onions, and is garnished with hard-boiled eggs, olives, and raisins.
While many people are familiar with Chile’s corvina, better known
to US diners as the Chilean sea bass, the Humboldt current off the coast of
Chile brings a rich and diverse supply of seafood to Chile’s coast, including
squid, crabs, oysters, prawns, salmon, tuna, and more.
The rich soil of the central region of Chile has been used
for growing the grapes used in world-reknowned wines and spirits for hundreds
of years. As winemaking spreads throughout the country, vintners are finding
that the same current which brings a wealth of seafood to Chile’s shores also
brings challenges to growing grapes, as the current brings with it cool air.
Most vineyards, in the inland valleys of the Andean foothills, rely on
irrigation via the snow melt from the mountains.
Chile has a long and rich history of fusing native
ingredients, tastes, and techniques with new and outside influences. Nowhere is
this more obvious than the completo, a hot dog served with chopped tomatoes, a
large amount of mayonnaise, and sauerkraut!
