Typical dishes of Chile in its North, Central and South Zones

The emblematic dishes of Chile are the product of the mixture that existed centuries ago of the indigenous tradition and the culture of the Spanish, thus reaching a fusion of habits, ingredients and customs. What we now know as the typical dishes of Chile have been highlighted for their variety of color, flavor and ingredients.

That is why we must know what their typical dishes are, which are presumed for their diversity of dishes that are enjoyed throughout the country, as well as by regions and times of the year.

Typical dishes of Chile: North Zone

We started in the northern part of Chile, this was formed thanks to the contributions of indigenous cultures, whose ingredients are corn, potatoes, goose, and squash from vegetables. On the livestock side , llama and alpaca meats are widely seen . In the same way, there are the dishes whose main ingredients are fish and seafood.

With only the ingredients we can already get an idea of ​​the great variety of flavors that we can find in the typical dishes of this area.

Roast

As camelid meat is widely used, we start with one of the most famous dishes in this area, the roast. This is prepared with alpaca meat, although in the same way it can be with llama or guanaco meat, and it is cooked on firewood, that is, in the style of a barbecue or barbecue.

Potato chicharrón

Continuing with the use of camelids we have the chuño, which is prepared with llama meat, or in some cases lamb. The cut pieces of meat are fried together with chunks of fat, then served with salad and cooked potatoes.

Chairo

Chairo is a meat soup, commonly made from alpaca meat or in other cases llama meat, which is accompanied by onion, mote wheat, carrot, chuño and green beans.

The chairo itself is a recipe that we can see in other Latin American countries, such as Peru, however, by changing the recipe it becomes emblematic in the northern part of Chile.

Spicy Guatita

This is a stew that is prepared with pieces of wadding, that is, with the stomach of beef. Other variants replace it with chicken or meat. It is seasoned and hot peppers are added to later be served with rice.

In addition to these dishes, you can see the typical desserts of the north, such as chumbeque, milk quinoa, quince paste and cooked guava.

Typical dishes of Chile: Zona Centro

In the downtown area we see more diversity because it is made up of the main urban areas of Chile, such as Valparaíso, Santiago and Concepción; therefore, we will see more ingredients and flavors in these dishes.

humitas

First we have the famous humitas, masses made of corn and dressings, wrapped in corn husks. The dough is prepared with the crushed and seasoned corn kernels, which will be shaped and then wrapped and brought to a boil.

In the different countries that make up Latin America you can find different variants of this dish. In Bolivia we have the humita, the tamale that is distributed in different countries, and the saca that comes from Venezuela.

Beans with mazamorra

The beans are beans that are prepared with a mixture of milk and corn, which is called mazamorra; in addition, basil, onion, garlic and pumpkin are added.

This is eaten hot and is very common in the rural areas of central Chile. Although they can be prepared at any time of the year, these are most enjoyed during the winter.

Tomatican

A well-known dish in the central area and throughout Chile. It is a stew that is prepared with meat, onion, corn and various species of vegetables. This is eaten with rice and in some cases it is used as a sauce.

This dish is the perfect example of the fusion between the food of the Spanish colonizers and the Mapuche people.

Potato cake

With various variations in South American countries, the potato cake became one of the typical dishes of this region of Chile. This is a mashed potato that is going to be filled with onion and minced meat, and that are left prepared from the day before. Ingredients such as raisins, boiled egg, paprika, tomato, and in some cases chicken meat are added.

Typical dishes of Chile: South Zone

Finally we have the southern part of the country, whose dishes come from the influences of the Mapuche people, which gave a great variety of foods that today are the protagonists of their typical dishes.

Chapaleles

It is a dish that we can prepare both sweet and salty. A dough is prepared based on wheat flour and cooked potatoes, which can be baked, fried or prepared as a curanto.

The salty ones are usually prepared with chicarrones and lard ; while those that are sweet are accompanied by sugar or honey and boiled. Both ways are valid and quite tasty.

Roasted on the stick

Asado al palo is about cooking several pieces of meat that are placed on a stake over hot coals . This dish is very common in festivities and celebrations such as birthdays or weddings.

The meat used is usually beef and lamb, this is soaked with a mixture of salt, garlic and vinegar called chimichurri, in order to give it more flavor and not to dry out.

Paila marina

The paila marina is a broth made from different marine species, specifically shellfish, which can be mussels, clams, piures or pyrocos, along with fish such as salmon. In its preparation, different dressings are added together with a little white wine.

The tradition is to serve it very hot after a party, as a final dish; This is because they say that it reduces the effects of the cane that has been consumed, a custom that can be seen in other Latin American countries with its variations in terms of ingredients.

The three Chilean areas offer us great diversity in terms of their dishes, which cannot be resisted. Also, we can see that these dishes have history about Chile.