Versión en Español Pan minero, also called pan de mina, is a lard enriched kneaded bread from the coal town of Lota in southern Chile, shaped into long lulos or round loaves marked with the knuckles and baked in a wood fired clay oven. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of baking and makes enough for 4 people. It is one of the most recognizable foods of Lota and has historically been…
Versión en Español Arrope de uva is an artisanal syrup from the Elqui Valley in northern Chile, made by pressing the juice from fresh grapes and reducing it slowly in a large open pan, using vine shoot or fig wood ash as a natural clarifier. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 60 minutes of cooking and makes enough for 6 servings. It stands out for its intense concentrated sweetness and its toasted notes, and…
Versión en Español Chilean soda cracker cake is a no-bake dessert of crushed soda crackers layered with manjar, cream, walnuts, and jam, pressed into a mold and chilled until it sets. It takes 30 minutes of assembly plus 2 hours in the refrigerator and serves 6 people. It is one of the simplest sweets in the Chilean repertoire, since nothing is cooked and the whole thing comes down to stacking layers. The result is a…
Versión en Español Caldo de harina tostada is a southern Chilean winter soup built on a sofrito of onion, aji de color, and merken, thinned with boiling water and thickened with toasted wheat flour, then finished with egg whites and yolks stirred in off the heat. It takes 10 minutes of preparation plus 10 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is a heritage dish of the Mapuche tradition and of rural southern households,…
Versión en Español Preserved changles are Chilean wild coral mushrooms simmered in a mix of apple cider vinegar and water with garlic and bay, then packed into sterilized jars and covered completely with neutral oil. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of cooking and fills enough jars for 6 servings. The vinegar lowers the pH and the oil seals out air, which is how the jars keep for up to 12 months…
Versión en Español Cazuela nogada is a Chilean chicken stew in which the pieces are browned first, simmered with onion, celery, parsley, potatoes, and rice, and then finished with a ground walnut sauce stirred in at the very end. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 60 minutes of cooking and serves 6 people. The walnut sauce is what sets it apart from every other cazuela, giving the broth a thick, creamy body and an…
Versión en Español Chilean potato salad, known simply as papas mayo, is a cold salad of boiled potatoes diced and folded with mayonnaise, mustard, celery, and onion, then rested in the refrigerator before serving. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. The celery and the onion are what make the difference, since both cut through the richness of the mayonnaise with a fresh, crisp counterpoint. It is…
Versión en Español Bariatric tea, from the Greek word baros meaning weight, is a herbal infusion of green tea, cinnamon, fresh ginger, lemon, and mint designed to support digestive wellbeing as part of a balanced diet. It takes 10 minutes of preparation plus 10 minutes of infusion and makes 4 servings. It is drunk hot or chilled, plain or lightly sweetened with honey or stevia, and it is also used as part of a liquid…
Versión en Español Machos ahogados, also known as sopones, is a traditional Chilean winter soup in which spoonfuls of a flour and egg batter are dropped into a seasoned beef broth and simmered until they set into soft dumplings. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 30 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is one of the oldest and cheapest soups in the Chilean repertoire, made all over the country when the weather…
Versión en Español Chilean Swiss chard stew, or guiso de acelgas, is a home-style vegetable dish of blanched chard folded into an onion, garlic, and carrot sofrito, then finished with egg, cream, and grated cheese. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is one of the most common ways of eating greens in Chilean households, often made with chard straight from the family vegetable patch, and…