Pre-1541
Mapuche and northern Indigenous foundations
The Mapuche in the south and Aymara-Atacameño peoples in the north cultivate potato, quinoa, and corn, and develop curanto, an underground earth-oven cooking method still used today.
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Cuisine book · 3 cities · 7 dishes
Chile
A 4,000-kilometer coastline of seafood, desert olives, and Andean wine
Chile's absurd north-to-south length gives its cuisine an extreme range — Atacama desert olives and corn in the north, hearty German-influenced stews and seafood curanto in the cold south, and a Pacific coastline that supplies some of the world's best shellfish everywhere in between.
History
Where it all comes from
1541 — 1810
Spanish colonization
Spanish colonizers introduce wheat, grapevines, and livestock, planting the vineyards that would eventually make Chile a major wine producer.
1840s — 1900s
German immigration to the south
German settlers in the Lake District bring sausage-making, baking, and dairy traditions still visible in Valdivia and Puerto Varas today.
1900s — 1970s
Coastal seafood culture
Fishing towns along the long coast build a reputation for congrio, razor clams, and sea urchin, cementing Chile's identity as a seafood nation.
1990s — today
Wine and modern gastronomy
Chile's wine industry gains global recognition alongside a new generation of chefs elevating native Mapuche ingredients like merkén smoked chili.
Jump to a city
City 1 of 3
Santiago
The capital's empanada culture and central market seafood halls.
Empanada de pino
Colonial-era Spanish adaptation
A baked pastry filled with ground beef, onion, olive, egg, and raisin, the essential dish of Chile's independence-day celebrations.
Pastel de choclo
Colonial-era corn adaptation
A sweet-corn crust baked over a savory beef and chicken filling, a summer classic when fresh corn is in season.
Completo
20th-century Santiago
A hot dog piled absurdly high with avocado, tomato, mayonnaise, and sauerkraut, the country's favorite fast food.
City 2 of 3
Chiloé & the southern coast
An island culture built on shellfish and earth-oven cooking.
Curanto
Pre-Hispanic Mapuche-Huilliche tradition
Shellfish, meat, and potato dumplings cooked together in a pit lined with hot stones and nalca leaves, one of South America's oldest cooking methods.
Milcao
Chilote Indigenous tradition
A dense potato flatbread made from both raw and cooked potato, griddled or fried and served alongside curanto.
City 3 of 3
Valparaíso & the central coast
A bohemian port city with a strong seafood-market culture.
Chupe de congrio
Coastal tradition, celebrated by poet Pablo Neruda
A creamy conger eel chowder immortalized in a Neruda ode, thickened with bread and cheese.
Ceviche chileno
Coastal tradition
Chunks of white fish cured in lime with cilantro and onion, drier and more citrus-forward than its Peruvian cousin.
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