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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
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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
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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
Tortillas
de maiz: corn pancakes
Yaguarlocro:
locro made with blood sausage; an acquired taste
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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Guyana
Guyana's
cuisine shows definite ethnic influences. East Indian flavours,
Chinese food, and creole cuisine influence Guyanese cooking. Juices,
beer and a fruit punch are popular beverages. Enjoy spicy pepperpot
stew, perhaps made with iguana or watrash, cook-up rice, curries,
cow-heel soup and seafood dishes.
French
Guiana
Here you'll
enjoy international cuisine plus Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian
dishes. Imported soft and alcoholic drinks are popular, but expensive.
Suriname
Javanese,
creole, Chinese and Hindustani cuisine plus favourite Dutch
influences are popular. Beer and rum are popular alcoholic drinks
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