After arriving in Santiago, Chile, and getting over my fear of speaking broken Spanish, I started a long journey of discovering the wide variety of Chilean dishes. And after over a year there, I can safely say that I’ve settled on my favorites. I listed them in order from my personal favorite to least favorite, but as you’ll see (and to the disappointment of many of my Chilean friends, I’m sure), the most iconic Chilean food is lower on the list!
Pastel de Choclo
My biggest regret was waiting so long before trying this classic Chilean dish. Pastel de choclo translates to “corn paste,” but the name in plain English is completely unassuming. I’ve had this dish homemade, in multiple restaurants, and even in one small Chilean restaurant in my home state of Texas. And every single time, I have loved it.
The base is corn paste, but it has so many other hearty ingredients that it strikes me as more of a casserole. Inside the corn paste, there are chicken wings or legs (with the bone), beef, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and more. I once did a horrible job of peeling tomatoes and dicing them, which you can put right on top of a serving of homemade pastel de choclo.
Chilean Empanadas
If I could relive one memory, it would be the time I tried my first Chilean empanada. Google Translate failed me when I typed in “empanada de pino,” completely clueless as to what this delectable bite was. And now I know it all too well: An empanada de papa is a Chilean classic. Baked inside buttery bread, you’ll find tender beef, a random hard-boiled egg, olives, and onion.
Empanadas are the perfect snack, and I’ve had my share from street corner shops and sit-down restaurants alike. The most rewarding empanada I’ve eaten was after the half-hour walk up San Cristobal hill, an iconic tourist spot. And don’t get me started on the seafood empanadas you can find in coastal cities. I’ve tried and loved empanadas of salmon and cheese, shrimp, and crab.
Arrollado Huaso: The Chilean Meat Roll
One night in my Airbnb in Providencia, I felt motivated to try something new, and it paid off. There’s a restaurant called Juan y Medio that has tons of traditional Chilean dishes, and I opted for the arrollado huaso. It’s basically a pork meat roll, and a spicy one at that. It’s firmly tied to huaso-style (countryside) cooking, and I enjoyed mine with bread to soak up the meaty, flavorful juices of this dish.
My only mistake with trying the arrollado huaso was ordering a Coke with it; the spice level didn’t pair well with that beverage. Next time, I’ll probably pair it with an earthy red wine, like carménère (a local red variety).
Pastel de Jaiba
Sitting at an elbow-touching wooden table in a dim restaurant full of loud, happy conversations, my brother across from me, I ordered wrong. We were in southern Chile, by the coast. And don’t get me wrong, I loved my dish of fresh seafood. But just one bite of my brother’s dish was enough to make me crazy about pastel de jaiba.
The best way I’d describe it would be that it’s a savory crab casserole. It’s briny. It’s rich. It’s creamy. And I eat it every chance I get, but especially on the coast, where the crab is fresh-caught. With bubbly, golden, fresh-out-of-the-oven cheese on top, I could never pass this traditional Chilean dish up.
Completo
In Chile, there’s only one thing better than the completo—two completos.
Thecompleteo is the “complete” version of the American hot dog. It’s a hot dog topped generously with the following:
- Avocado
- Homemade mayonnaise
- Diced tomato
Of course, you can add whatever additional toppings you like. For me, I add ketchup, sometimes mustard. My first completo was in the Plaza de Armas in the city center of Santiago. For a few lucas, I bought my completo, and gobbled it down standing there next to the completo stand, surrounded by the absolute chaos that is the usual vibe in that plaza.
Pan (Bread)
I admit that this is not a “dish,” but you’ll soon understand why I put this on the list. Bread in Chile is simply on a whole other level. The classic Chilean bread is called marraqueta. It has the perfect amount of fluff on the inside and crispiness on the outside, and it conveniently is shaped into four little sections that I usually pull apart to make sandwiches.
Hallulla is another one of my favorite Chilean breads. It’s disk-shaped, denser yet still somehow fluffy, and I love pairing it with a local jam or jelly, some kind of cheese, or butter. It’s too easy to buy a bagful of these and eat them all within a couple of days (or hours). Constantly having fresh bread at my fingertips has been a huge highlight of living in Santiago.
Pollo con Arvejas
To close out the list, here’s a dish that a dear friend served to me one time. It’s not just on the list for sentimental reasons, though; it’s delicious. The dish name translates to chicken with peas, but it involves a number of flavors that make it stand out.
It’s a comforting meal, and it was the perfect homemade dinner for a girls’ night. Simmered chicken is accompanied by cooked peas, onion, garlic, and a variety of spices that I can’t begin to recall. The chicken and the pea sauce come out tender and savory, not too heavy and not too light.
More To Discover
I didn’t know what to expect when I first began trying Chilean foods. But it’s safe to say I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’ve found such a variety of savory, hearty, and unique dishes throughout Santiago, coastal cities, and the southern regions. And I can’t wait to discover more.
