World Flavors Cookbook

Chile Recipes

Chilean cuisine is a vibrant blend of indigenous Mapuche traditions and European influences, primarily Spanish and German. With a coastline spanning over 4,000 kilometers, Chile is world-famous for its extraordinary seafood, as well as its unique corn-based dishes and world-class wines.

Recipes from Chile

• Empanada de Pino (Beef Empanada)

  The iconic Chilean empanada, traditionally baked and filled with a savory mixture of beef, onions, raisins, olives, and a slice of hard-boiled egg.

• Pastel de Choclo (Corn Pie)

  A comforting summer pie made with sweet corn paste (choclo) over a layer of "pino" (beef filling), chicken, and hard-boiled eggs.

• Completo (Chilean Hot Dog)

  Chile's most famous street food: a giant hot dog loaded with avocado, tomato, and an enormous amount of mayonnaise.

• Curanto en Hoyo

  An ancient earth-oven feast from Chiloé Island, where seafood, meats, and potatoes are cooked over hot stones buried in the ground.

• Cazuela de Ave (Chicken Stew)

  A soul-warming traditional stew featuring a large piece of chicken, a whole potato, a chunk of pumpkin, and a cob of corn in a clear broth.

• Porotos Granados

  A thick, creamy summer bean stew made with fresh cranberry beans, corn, and squash.

• Humitas

  Fresh summer corn tamales, made by grinding corn with basil and butter, then wrapping the paste in corn husks and boiling.

• Pebre

  The ubiquitous Chilean salsa, served at every table with bread or over grilled meats.

• Charquicán

  A traditional rustic mash of potatoes, squash, corn, and meat, often topped with a fried egg.

• Mote con Huesillo

  The quintessential Chilean summer refreshment: sweet dried peach nectar served with husked wheat (mote).

• Alfajores Chilenos

  Crispy pastry discs sandwiched with a thick layer of "manjar" (Chilean dulce de leche) and often covered in chocolate or powdered sugar.

• Caldillo de Congrio (Conger Eel Stew)

  A rich, creamy fish stew made with conger eel, flavored with white wine, cream, and coastal herbs. Immortalized in a poem by Pablo Neruda.

• Chorrillana

  A massive communal plate of French fries topped with strips of beef, sautéed onions, and fried eggs. The ultimate sharing food.

• Carbonada

  A colorful beef soup with all ingredients (potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, beans) diced into small, even cubes.

• Sopaipillas

  Fried dough discs made with cooked pumpkin, served savory with pebre or sweet in a chancaca (molasses) syrup.

• Paila Marina

  A monumental shellfish soup containing mussels, clams, shrimp, and abalone, served in a traditional clay bowl.

• Machas a la Parmesana

  Razor clams on the half-shell, topped with a dash of white wine, butter, and parmesan cheese, then broiled until bubbly.

• Reineta Frita

  Chile's most popular coastal dish: fresh pomfret (reineta) battered and deep-fried, served with "ensalada chilena."

• Arrollado de Huaso

  A traditional spicy pork roll made from pork pulp, seasoned with garlic and aji, then tied and boiled in a flavorful broth.

• Cordero al Palo (Patagonian Lamb)

  A whole lamb spread on a cross-shaped spit and slow-roasted for hours over a wood fire in the extreme south of Chile.

• Pastel de Jaiba (Crab Gratin)

  A rich and creamy crab meat gratin, thickened with bread soaked in cream and baked with a layer of parmesan cheese.

• Porotos con Riendas (Beans with "Reins")

  A hearty winter bean stew where spaghetti noodles represent the "reins" used by cowboys.

• Chacarero (Steak and Bean Sandwich)

  A unique Chilean sandwich featuring thin steak, fresh green beans, tomato, and optional aji peppers.

• Barros Luco

  A simple but iconic sandwich of thin grilled steak and lots of melted cheese in a toasted roll.

• Barros Jarpa

  The standard grilled ham and cheese sandwich of Chile, a favorite for "once."

• Leche Asada (Baked Milk Custard)

  A traditional oven-baked custard with a firm texture and a characteristic burnt sugar top.

• Pan Amasado

  Rustic, homemade Chilean bread made with flour, lard, and yeast, traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven.

• Brazo de Reina

  A light sponge cake roll filled with a thick layer of "manjar" (dulce de leche).

• Terremoto (Earthquake Drink)

  A potent and sweet cocktail made with pipeño wine, pineapple ice cream, and a dash of grenadine or fernet.

• Pan con Palta

  The simple, daily luxury of Chilean life: mashed avocado on toasted bread with a pinch of salt.

• Cazuela de Vacuno

  Chile's everyday soup — a bone-in beef or chicken piece simmered with potato, pumpkin, corn, and green beans in a clear, golden broth.

• Empanadas de Queso

  Chilean cheese empanadas — filled with melted mantecoso cheese, baked in a dough with lard until golden and flaky.

• Arrollado de Huaso

  Chilean rolled pork — seasoned pork skin stuffed with spiced pork meat, rolled and simmered in broth, then sliced cold.

• Milcaos (Potato Pancakes from Chiloé)

  Potato pancakes from the Chiloé archipelago — made from grated raw potato and mashed cooked potato, fried or baked until golden.

• Merkén (Mapuche Smoked Chili Spice)

  Chile's indigenous Mapuche smoked chili blend — dried and smoked goat horn peppers ground with coriander seeds and salt.

• Tomaticán

  Chilean summer stew of fresh tomatoes, corn, and beef — a thick, red, sweet-savory dish eaten during tomato season.

• Leche Nevada (Snow Milk)

  Chilean floating island dessert — soft meringue clouds poached on sweetened milk, flavored with vanilla and cinnamon.

• Sopa de Mariscos

  Chilean Pacific seafood soup with shrimp, clams, mussels, and fish in a tomato-cream broth — the treasure of the world's longest coastline.

• Empanada de Camarón y Queso

  Chilean shrimp and cheese empanada — Pacific shrimp mixed with melted cheese in a flaky baked crust.

• Chilenitos

  Small Chilean sandwich cookies filled with manjar (dulce de leche) and dusted with powdered sugar — the beloved afternoon tea cookie.