Food from Chile will be listed here
If you’re ready for a taste of Chile’s wild, misty islands, curanto is the communal feast that’ll have you dreaming of Chiloé’s rugged shores. This ancient dish—layers of seafood, meats, potatoes, and dumplings steamed in an earth oven
In Chile, there are dishes that carry the soul of the countryside, dishes that remind us of quiet afternoons, of family around a wooden table, of the land that feeds us. One of those dishes is cazuela—a hearty soup made with beef or chicken
I always say that every Chilean family has their own way of making empanadas de pino, and that is true. But for me, the way I learned from my own mamá in Valparaíso is the way I still do it today. It carries the smell of Sundays, the chatter of cousins running around, and the feeling that home is always close, even when life takes you far away.
So let me tell you how it goes, from the heart of a Chilean abuelita who has spent many afternoons with flour-dusted hands and a warm oven humming in the kitchen.
Every country seems to have a dish that feels like a warm hug, the kind of food you eat on a Sunday with family gathered around the table. In Chile, that dish is Pastel de Choclo—a golden corn and beef casserole that manages to be both sweet and savory at once.
I still remember my first taste of it in Santiago’s Central Valley. It came bubbling hot, baked in a small clay pot, the top a golden crust of sweet corn purée.