Versión en Español Chilean chicha de maqui, also called treco, trecu, or tecu, is a traditional Mapuche drink made by crushing and pressing maqui berries and leaving the juice to ferment naturally. It takes about 15 days of fermentation, or it can be drunk fresh, and it serves 12 people. It was widely consumed by the Mapuche people in southern Chile, and it gives a refreshing, astringent, deep purple drink rich in antioxidants. How to…
Versión en Español Tuna antipasto is a cold appetizer of canned tuna simmered with tomato sauce, mustard, carrots, green beans, onion, bell pepper, and stuffed olives, served chilled with crackers or toast. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus about 30 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. The idea of antipasto comes from Italian cuisine, where it names the starters served before the main courses of primo, secondo, and dolce. This tuna version is…
Versión en Español The rusty nail, called clavo oxidado in Chile, is a classic stirred cocktail of Scotch whisky and Drambuie served over ice, aromatized with cloves and a citrus twist. It takes 5 minutes to prepare and makes 1 drink. It is a cocktail you can mix almost anywhere with minimal tools and no sophisticated ingredients, which explains why it has a firm place in Chilean home bars alongside the piscola and the whisky…
Versión en Español Chilean peach kuchen, or kuchen de duraznos, is a tart with a crisp buttery base topped with canned peach slices and pastry cream, one of the best loved cakes of southern Chile. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 50 minutes of baking and serves 6 people. It is a classic of afternoon once, prized for the contrast between the firm base, the silky pastry cream, and the juicy fruit, and it…
Versión en Español Chilean choclos cocidos con mantequilla are fresh corn cobs boiled in salted water and served hot with butter melting over the kernels, a summer classic eaten with your hands. It takes 10 minutes of preparation plus 15 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is one of the simplest ways to enjoy the sweetness and tender texture of Chilean summer corn, and a favorite side for family barbecues and lunches during…
Versión en Español Chilean apple kuchen, or kuchen de manzana, is a shortcrust tart filled with sliced apples, sugar, lemon, and cinnamon and topped with a dough lattice, a German inspired classic of southern Chile. It takes 60 minutes of preparation plus 50 minutes of baking and serves 6 people. The recipe arrived with the German settlers of the south and became a staple of afternoon once, helped by the wide variety of apples grown…
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,…