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The variety of cuisine to be found in Latin America is
considerable and exciting and continues to grow in popularity as the
public continually seek new cuisines and authenticity.
Argentina
Argentine cuisine is influenced by waves of European immigration,
particularly from Italy. You'll find many Italian restaurants and
pizzerias, plus heladerias, or ice-cream parlours, serving Italian
cuisine and gelatos . Argentina is known for its beef, and many meals
are based on substantial amounts of carne, but other foods are
certainly available. Lingering after an evening meal with a sobremesa
is a customary time for conversation.
Popular dishes in Argentina are:
Asado: various cuts of meat cooked over coals and usually served
with chimichurri marinade, french fries and salad; also called a parillada
Carbonada: beef stew with rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn,
squash, apples and pears
Puchero: beef, chicken, bacon, sausage, corn, peppers, tomatoes,
onions, cabbage, sweet potatoes, squash casserole; may have beans
Sopa a la criolla: roasted suckling pig
Ñoquis: gnocchi or potato dumplings served with marinara or
other tomato sauce
Arroz con pollo: chicken and rice casserole with eggs and vegetables
Puchero de gallina: chicken, sausage, corn, potato and squash
Locro: corn, white beans, beef, sausage, squash in a stew
Empanada de humita: pasty filled with corn, onion, cheese and flour
Chile
Chilean cuisine tends to the international, plus wonderful seafood
that forms the base of many favoured dishes. Ethnic restaurants
abound in the cities. Vegetarian meals are available. Chilean wines
are superb. Beer, aguardiente and imported hard liquors are popular.
Make sure you try a Pisco Sour, made with egg white, lemon juice and
powdered sugar.
Some popular dishes in Chile are:
Cazuela: soup with meat or chicken, potato, corn and squash or
other vegetables
Pastel de choclo: corn pie with meat, vegetables, chicken, olives
and hard-boiled eggs
Lomo a lo pobre: fried beef, eggs, onions and french fries
Arroz con pollo: chicken and rice casserole
Curanto: seafood stew with chicken, pork, lamb, beef and potato
Chupes: stews of fish or beef
Ecuador
Don't expect rich, strong coffee in Ecuador. You can order an
espresso in some restaurants, but coffee is generally available in a
liquid concentrated form and you mix your own. You might do better
with black tea, té which is served with sugar and lemon, or an
herbal tea, té de hierbas, or hot chocolate.
When in Ecuador, try:
Caldo or sopa: soups, available as a breakfast item in markets
Churrasco: beef, fried eggs, vegetables, fried potatoes, avocado,
rice and tomato Cuy: grilled guinea pig
Lechón: ; roasted suckling pig
Llapingachos: potato and cheese pancake, often served with small
bits of meat
Tortillas de maiz: corn pancakes
Locro: soup with potatoes, corn and avocado
Parrilla: mixed meat barbequed Argentine style
Yaguarlocro: locro made with blood sausage; an acquired taste
Brazil
This huge country offers a cuisine as diverse as its regions and
climates, with the staples being rice and beans. Manioc is used as a
flour and a seasoning. Many dishes show their African roots. Fruits
are many and varied, some found only in Brazil. Fruit juices are
popular and served pure, as a suco. Ask for it sem açucar if
you don't want added sugar, e gelo, if you want it iced, or natural.
Try a milkshake batido de fruta, and a guaraná, which is a
soft drink made with the juice of an Amazonian fruit. Beer is served
in large size as cerveja, in a smaller container as cervejinha.
Cachaça, pinga and aguardente are names for very potent,
inexpensive sugar-cane alcohol. Mixed with fruit juice, crushed ice
and sugar, Cachaça becomes a caipirinha, which when mixed
right, is delicious. If vodka is used instead of Cachaça, it
is a caipirosca. Rum makes another alternative.
Specialities when you're in Brazil:
Acarajé: fried mashed bean balls stuffed with vatapá
Carne de sol: grilled salted meat served with beans, rice and vegetables
Caruru: mixture of okra, shrimp, vegetables and peppers made into
a sauce for fish
Cozido: stew with many vegetables
Feijoada: meat stew served with rice and beans
Mocueca: seafood sauce/stew made with coconut milk and cooked in a
clay pot
Pato no tucupi: roast duck with tucupi sauce made from manioc and vegetables
Peixe a delícia: broiled or grilled fish served with
bananas and coconut milk
Piracuru ao forno: Amazon river fish baked with lemon and seasonings
Tutu á mineira: bean, bacon and manioc sauce served with cabbage
Vatapá: seafood served with sauce of manioc, coconut and
dendé oil
Paraguay
Guarani cooking styles and names are reflected in the Paraguayan
diet. Fruit, vegetables and meat are consumed along with manioc and corn.
When in Paraguay, be sure to try:
Parrillada: various cuts of meat cooked over coals as in Argentina
Mazamorroa: corn mush
Sopa paraguaya: corn bread with cheese and onion
Mbaipy-so-ó: corn pudding with chunks of meat
Bori-bori: chicken soup with cornmeal dumplings
Sooyo sopy: soup with ground meat, served with rice or noodles
Mbaipy-he-é;: dessert of corn, milk and molasses
Chipa soo: ; corn bread with a meat filling
Chipa : manioc bread with egg and cheese
Uruguay
Uruguay reflects European traditions in some of its cuisine, as
well as influences from neighboring countries. Meat is a staple at
meals and parilladas are common. Local sausages are very tasty.
Try chajá , sponge cake with cream and jam, pastries, and
lemon pie. When in Uruguay, try:
Parrilla: grilled meats, Argentine style
Puchero: beef, vegetables, chicken, bacon, beans and sausages
Chivito: steak sandwich with lettuce, bacon, tomato cheese; a
larger version is chivito al plato
Olympicos: club sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato
Cazuela: soup made with either seafood or tripe
Peru
International cuisine is popular and available in the larger
restaurants of Peru, but make sure you try the local dishes in the
chicherías and picanterías. Spicy foods are
arequipeña or a la criolla,and ethnic cooking is more
prevalent in the highlands. Peruvian beer is very good. Wines are not
as good as Chilean or Argentine wines, but Pisco is superb. Chicha is
usually home-made and varies in potency.
While in Peru, try these specialities:
Ceviche: cold raw seafood marinated in lemon juice, peppers and
onions, served with cold potatoes
Lomo saltado: fried chopped steak with onions, tomatoes, potatoes
and rice
Palta a la jardinera: avocado stuffed with cold vegetables or salad
Sopa a la criolla: roasted suckling pig
Escabeche: fish with onions, peppers, prawns, eggs and olives
Chupe de camarones: shrimp stew
Papa a la huancaina: potatoes with a spicy sauce and cheese
Causa: potatoes with lemons, peppers, hard-boiled eggs, olives,
sweet potato, lettuce, cheese. served with onion sauce
Cuy: guinea pig
Anticucho de corazón: shish kebabs with beef hearts
Locro: soup with potatoes, corn and avocado
Rocoto relleno: green peppers stuffed with beef and vegetables
Choclo con queso: corn on the cob with melted cheese
Tamales: ground corn stuffed with meat or cheese then steamed in a leaf
Bolivia
The cuisine of Bolivia is suited to the high, cold climate in the
altiplano: lots of peppers, aji, and food served picante, spicy hot,
although you can request medio picante or poco picante for medium or
less hot. In the altiplano, cuisine relies on carbohydrates and
protein from potatoes and meats, plus trout, trucha, from Lake
Titicaca. In the lowlands, freshwater fish, vegetables, fruits are
more popular. Note: meat and eggs from endangered species are often
on the menu in lowland restaurants. If the demand for these is
lessened, perhaps these species will stand a chance at survival.
Favourites in Bolivia are:
Chairo: lamb soup with potatoes, vegetables, chuños and ají
Carne de sol: grilled salted meat served with beans, rice and vegetables
Chuño or tunta: freeze dried potato
Empanadas: cheese pasties
Humitas: ground corn steamed in corn leaves
Llajua and halpahuayca: popular bottled hot sauces
Pacumuta: beef chunks
Pique a lo macho: chopped beef with onions and vegetables
Pukacapas: spicy cheese pasties
Sajta de pollo ; chicken in hot sauce with chuños, vegetables
Saice: spicy meat soup
Salteñas: meat and vegetable pasties, usually eaten in the morning
Silpancho: beef prepared schnitzel style
Tucumana: a juicier salteña
Colombia
Colombia has a varied regional cuisine and some wonderful fruits.
Do try them. You'll be offered coffee in various forms: tinto: small
cup of strong, black coffee perico or pintado: small cup of coffee
with milk café con leche: coffee with lots of milk
Rum is good and popular along the coast. You'll find mixed results
with chicha and guarapo which is home-brewed mix of fruit in agua de
panela. Aguardiente is popular, but local wines are not recommended.
Ajiaco: chicken soup with potatoes, corn and capers
Bandeja paisa: ground beef, chorizo, beans, fried plátano,
fried egg, chicarrón, and avocado
Cuy: grilled guinea pig
Hormiga culona: fried ants - unique to Santander
Lechona: baked pig stuffed with meat, rice, peas
Tamales: pork, rice and vegetables mix, steamed in banana leaves
Venezuela
Fruit juices are popular and served pure, batido or watered down
or as a merengado or milkshake. Beer is popular, as in rum. Look for:
Arepas: flat bread, either served plain at meals or filled with
meat, cheese, or fish and eaten as a snack from an arepera
Cachapa: fresh corn pancake, like a tortilla, served with cheese
and/or ham
Cachito: hot bread roll stuffed with ham
Hallaca: meat, vegetables, olive stuffing in corn dough, steamed
in plantain leaves
Mondongo: tripe cooked in bouillon with vegetables, corn and potatoes
Muchacho: roast loin of beef in sauce
Pabellón: shredded beef, rice, beans, and fried plantain
Parillada: barbequed meats
Sancocho: fish stew with vegetables
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