Each area of the country offers unique environments to travelers, and Chilean cuisine is equally as varied. There are various recipes in each region, but there are some major dishes you’ll find no matter where you go in Chile.
Pastel de Choclo
Starting off in the Elqui Valley, a region famous for its stargazing possibilities, you’ll find a wide range of Andean cuisine. Among the mountainous dishes is pastel de choclo, which translates to “corn pie.” But this dish is so much than that.
Empanada de Pino
An empanada is stuffed pastry with a filling which is then fried or baked. Every Latin American country has their own take on the classic empanada, but in Chile, you get a lot for your money: There are a handful of fillings used but the most traditional one is pino, ground beef mixed with onions, raisins, olives and hard-boiled eggs.
Although sizes vary—while some South American countries’ empanadas are more snack, a traditional empanada in Chile can be big enough to be your whole meal.
Churrasco sandwich
If you’re a meat eater, you’ll find your bliss in Chile. Countless forms of beef, lamb, goat, and even llama can be had in the country (though the latter would only be found in the northern regions).
Arrollado de huaso
Arrollado de huaso is pork roll that’s been chopped up, mixed with bacon slices, chilis, and spices, rolled in pork skin and then boiled. Served with an avocado salsa and some other veggies, it’s a southern Chilean dish.
Erizos del Mar
Since this is a coastal country, seafood plays as large a role in the Chilean diet as meat. Razor clams covered with parmesan and crab pies to lobster and squid plates, there are seafood dishes aplenty that are beloved by Chileans.
Sopa Patagonica
A traditional soup dish of the Chiloé Archipelago, a region of several islands off the central coast of Chile, pork meat is mixed with seafood such as shrimp and mussels and Chilean potatoes.