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Chilean Recipes

16 recipes

Chilean cooking draws on a very long coastline, a fertile central valley and the cold south. The sea supplies conger eel, clams, sea urchin and many other shellfish, which end up in soups and baked dishes. Inland, corn, beans, squash and potatoes form the base of hearty home cooking, such as pastel de choclo and porotos granados. Spanish settlers brought wheat, onions, olives and raisins, which is why empanadas and meat pies often mix savory and sweet notes. Mapuche cooking added merkén (smoked chili spice), mote (husked wheat) and piñones (araucaria pine nuts). Fresh herbs, especially cilantro and parsley, go into pebre, a salsa found at almost every table. Lunch is the main meal, and once, a light afternoon tea with bread, is a daily habit. Empanadas and barbecue mark the national holidays in September, and Chile is also wine country, where young rustic wine called pipeño is a traditional pairing with the food.

Staple ingredients

Appetizers

Soups

Salads

Main Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Snacks

Drinks

Sauces, Dips and Condiments

Common questions

What is Chilean food known for?

Empanadas de pino, pastel de choclo, seafood soups and pebre. Fresh corn, beans and squash feature heavily in home cooking, and the long coast supplies excellent shellfish.

What is the national dish of Chile?

There is no official one. Many Chileans would name pastel de choclo or empanadas de pino, and cazuela, a soup-stew of meat, corn and potato, is often called the comfort food of the country.

Is Chilean food spicy?

Mostly not. Pebre may contain a little green chili and merkén adds smoky warmth, but most dishes rely on cumin, oregano, garlic and cilantro. Hot pepper sauce is added at the table as people like.