Humitas are a traditional Chilean dish that resembles tamales you might eat in Mexico. While each mamita has her own favorite Chilean humitas recipe, they all have several elements in common.

Humitas Across Latin America

The tradition of humitas dates back to before the arrival of Europeans. You’ll find variations of the humita throughout Latin America. Each country and region seems to have its own variation of this corn-based meal.

What is a Chilean Humita?

The classic Chilean humita consists of a ground corn mix wrapped in corn husks and boiled. The corn used in Chile is called choclo and isn’t very sweet by itself. Where tamales or other countries’ versions are often spicy, Chilean humitas are very basic and plain in taste. Feel free to add some of the ever-present pebre salsa or sugar to add some flavor to the humita.

How to Eat the Humita

When I was first served an humita, I didn’t know how to eat it. Humitas are served in the corn husk. Sometimes the humita is still wrapped tightly with some string that was used to hold it together for cooking.

To eat the humita, untie the string and unwrap the husk. Don’t eat the corn husk! If you are eating with others, you can likely follow their lead.

Humitas are typically served with the tomato and onion Chilean salad (ensalada chilena).

Chilean Humita Recipe

Keep in mind that traditional Chilean humitas are not spicy. The ingredients are simple: corn, salt, milk, and seasonings (onions, basil, paprika, etc.)

The basic steps of making humitas are:

1. Strip the corn kernels off of the ears of corn.

2. Grind up the corn into a smooth creamy mix.

3. Add seasonings for flavor.

4. Wrap the corn mix in a corn husk and tie it tight.

5. Boil the bundles for about 20-30 minutes.

Here are some Chilean humitas recipes you can try:

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Humitas

Humitas Chilenas

Humitas: Chilean Tamales

Picture by Ryan Greenberg

Chilean avocados are a way of life in Chile. One thing you’ll notice after any amount of time in Chile is that avocado seems to be served with lots of foods.

Why is Avocado so Popular in Chile?

Chile’s climate and agricultural conditions make it idea for growing avocados. Did you know avocados grow on trees? I’ve visited several Chilean homes with an avocado tree growing in the yard. When you see trees and fruits growing in people’s yards, you know that they are easy to grow in that region.

Chilean avocados are a major export for the country. In fact, the majority of avocados imported into the United States come from Chile.

Avocados are cheap. Because avocados grow so easily in Chile, the price is extremely affordable. Where in the United States you may pay one dollar for 2 or 3 avocados, you can get 2 or 3 kilograms (4-6 pounds) of avocados for the same price in Chile.

How is Avocado Served?

Avocados are a great companion food. I don’t recall ever seeing an avocado served by itself. They are typically matched up to another food to bring out the best in tastes and culinary experience.

Chileans typically turn avocados into a guacamole-like, creamy paste that can be spread on bread, sandwiches, and other foods.

The classic Chilean hot dog, the completo, is often overloaded with a thick layer of the delicious green avocado mush. So much so, that you will have a hard time getting it all in your mouth. Avocado will likely end up on your shirt or lap.

Chileans love their sandwiches and you’ll definitely find avocado on the Chilean lomitos and other sandwich variations.

Avocado spread will also served with the daily fresh bread that Chileans eat for breakfast and dinner.

While the diversity of Chilean avocado opportunities might not surprise you, the volume of avocado in any given serving will be noteworthy. Chileans don’t just serve a little bit of this green food, they pile it on in huge, excessive amounts.

Palta is the Chilean Avocado

You will only hear avocados referred to as palta in Chile. While other Spanish speaking countries translate avocado as aguacate, you’ll never hear or see that variation in Chile. Palta is used to describe both the creamy green paste and the whole avocado fruit sold at supermarkets or local street ferias.

While in Chile, enjoy the fresh (and cheap) avocados and don’t be afraid when you see a thick layer of palta on your next sandwich.

Picture by Olle Svensson

While empanadas in some form are found all over Latin America, Chile offers up its own variety.

An empanada is a type of turnover where a thin pastry shell is stuffed with a filling and then cooked before serving. Chilean empanadas typically come in two popular variations: oven-baked meat-filled empanadas and cheese filled, fried empanadas.

Empanadas de Horno

As you walk through a local feria market or see a vendor on the street, you’ll hear cries of “empanadas de horno“. These are oven-baked empanadas. A traditional empanada de horno is also called an empanada de pino.

These empanadas are filled with a meat mixture consisting primarily of ground beef, onions, raisins, a slice of hard boiled egg, a whole olive, and seasonings. The pastry shell is sealed up and baked in the oven.

Recipes vary so don’t be surprised if you taste a something different in your empanada. Empanadas de pino are typically large enough to constitute a meal even though they often are served only as appetizers.

The first time I ate an empanada de pino I bit down on the whole olive (pit included) and nearly broke my tooth! Use caution when eating fresh empanadas as they will be really hot inside.

Cheese Empanadas

Cheese empanadas are simply cheese inside a pastry shell and then fried. These are so easy, you can make your own cheese empanadas. Since these are fried, you get a different texture and flavor. Cheese empanadas are also typically smaller than their meat-filled cousins. So you’ll be tempted to eat several at one time.

Variations

As you travel around the country, you’ll find different variations of the empanada. Look for seafood empanadas or whole wheat empanadas in more trendy restaurants.

What is your favorite type of empanada?

Pictures by Juanjo+Willow and Francisco Javier Argel

The completo literally translates to “complete” and is everything the name describes.

While there are variations of completos, the basic version consists of:

1. A large hot dog roll, about twice as thick and long as the whimpy store-bought hot dog buns I ate as a kid.

2. A typical hot dog, usually cooked in boiling water.

3. Diced tomatoes spread across the hot dog.

4. A generous helping of smashed avocado (palta).

5. Too much mayonaise to resonably fit on the roll.

Completos can also sport some sauerkraut or chucrut.

Regardless of the topping, the completo will be the messiest thing you eat all week. The toppings outweigh the hot dog by a significant margin and almost overpower the roll which holds it all together.

I purchased my first completo from a street vendor and ate it outside trying to stand such that the mayo and avocado which oozed out with every bite would drip on the street and not my clothes or shoes.

Ask the locals near where you live or are staying where to get the best completo. They may just point you to a street vendor with a small kiosk. You’ll find yourself trying to wrestle with something that seems too large and messy to reasonably eat, yet is indescribably delicious. That is the Chilean completo. Enjoy!

Picture by Carolina Hornig

How to Make Your Own

Wash and soak the dried peaches (huesillos) overnight to rehydrate. Cook the rehydrated huesillos in sugar water with some cinnamon for 30 minutes. Cook the husked wheat (mote) until tender, then drain. Add the cooked mote to the sweet huesillo liquid and then put it in the refrigerator. This drink is served chilled.

If ever there was a drink that symbolized Chilean summers it would be mote con huesillo.

You’ll find Mote con huesillo for sale from various street vendors that you’ll see as you travel around. If you are staying with friends or family, ask if they have a good family recipe they can share or a favorite place to buy the drink.

Mote con huesillo is so ingrained in Chilean culture and life that you’ll find ready-made variants for sale at the supermarket:

Be sure you get spoon to “drink” your mote con huesillo or it might be a hard time getting it down. Also keep in mind that depending on who makes your drink, the dried peaches might still have the pit in them. Careful how you chew!

Picture Credits:
Mote con Huesillo in a Cup by Jamie McIntyre
Mote con Huesillo at the supermarket by Pepe

If you want to stay hydrated while visiting Chile, you’ll need to be proactive in your preparations. This entails knowing what to expect when you get there, and having a few extra pesos in your wallet.

If you are accustomed to super-sizing your drink or receiving free refills when you eat out (common in North America), you’ll be in for a surprise when you visit Chile. In restaurants, there are no such things as “free refills.” When you order a Fanta or Nectar Juice, you’ll get a single serve, glass bottle. When you finish that bottle off, you can ask for another but you’ll pay for that one, too.

If you are with a group of people, one way to get around this would be to buy a liter or two of soda or juice and share around with your group.

You may think you’ll be able to skip the hassle by ordering water to drink. However, if you ask for water at a restaurant, you’ll likely get carbonated bottled water, also charged to your bill.

If you won’t be dining out for every meal, you’ll still need to stay hydrated. The tap water in Chile is safe to drink. So don’t fret if that is your only option at a hotel or private home.

Travel with an empty water bottle that you can fill before you leave your hotel for the day. You can also stock up on bottled water at a corner store or supermarket that you can carry with you or in your car.

Chile is too beautiful a country to miss enjoying due to dehydration. Be proactive and prepared.

In truth, Bilz and Pap are two of the most popular soft drinks in Chile.

Whenever you hear the name of one of these drinks it usually follows the other. They are typically marketed together so you’ll see them on TV and in advertisements as a pair of Bilz y Pap.

Bilz and Pap are a domestic Chilean brand manufactured in Chile. They are the most popular domestic brand of soda in the country. You’ll find the drinks sold as single servings up to larger 2-liter bottles at supermarkets and corner stores. Bilz and Pap are both offered on many restaurant menus.

Bilz

Bilz is an artificially-flavored red drink. It reminds me of Big Red soda in the United States.

Pap

Pap is a yellow-colored drink with a papaya flavor.

When you are in Chile, try both of these drinks. Even though Coca-Cola dominates the soda industry in Chile, try something new and Chilean. You can always get a Coca-Cola back home!

Bilz picture by Ian Rutherford
Pap picture by Pepe

Donde la Cuca is famous for its grilled meats or Parrillada. Chileans love a good barbecue or asado and this restaurant helps feed that culinary urge when they are away from home.

As you enter the restaurant, there is a welcoming waiting area where you can expect to wait during crowded times.

The restaurant is surprisingly large inside with a massive dance floor surrounded by hundreds of tables.

When escorted to your table, you’ll walk by a large dance floor where Chileans will dance late into the night to the music from a live band. If you eat at the restaurant early in the day, it will likely be vacant and without live music. The crowds show up later in the evening.

You’ll need to order some meat when you eat at Donde la Cuca, otherwise you should have chosen another restaurant.

The waiter will bring out a huge mountain of meats piled high on a metal serving plate. This plate sits on top of a batch of charcoal briquettes that keeps your food warm for as long as you want to gorge yourself. Expect lots of beef, although other meats (chicken, pork, sausage, etc.) are also available.

A typical side dish for your meat includes a platter with sliced avocados, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and french fries (papas fritas).

Ask for a nectar juice to help wash down your carnivore’s delight. If you can, save room for dessert as Donde la Cuca has several traditional and sweet treats including Chilean pancakes (panqueques).

You can view the Donde la Cuca website for more details.

Make sure you go hungry because you will leave stuffed. Enjoy the meat!

Chilean Sopaipillas are round, flat pasteries whose dough is shaped into circles about the size of your hand and then fried. The dough is made from Chilean pumpkin or zapallo that gives them an orange color. You’ll know zapallo when you see it at the feria street market because vendors typically cut it into large chunks that highlight its vibrant orange color.

Typical fried sopaipillas can be eaten with your fingers. They can be purchased fresh for a couple hundred pesos.

Sopaipillas from Street Vendors

No matter where you are in Chile, you’ll likely find a street vendor with a little kiosk selling sopaipillas. You can watch as she forms the dough into the classic sopaipillas shape and tosses them into the boiling oil to quickly cook them.

A well made sopaipilla will be crisy on the outside with a softer center.

Sopaipillas can be adorned with any number of toppings. The street vendor will likely have pebre (the favorite Chilean salsa). You can also top one with mustard, ketchup, or the sweet tasting caramel called manjar.

Sopaipillas Pasadas

Although you can buy sopaipillas year around in Chile, sopaipillas pasadas are a winter-time favorite in Chile. This recipe features the traditional sopaipillas soaked in a heavy, sweet syrup called chancaca. This syrup tastes like a blend of brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and orange rinds. You’ll need to eat these sopaipillas with a fork.

Photo of Sopaipillas Pasadas by Francisco Gonzalez

First show them a picture of the conger eel, fresh from the ocean:

Then tell them that is what you ate in Chile.

The Conger eel is never listed as “eel” or anguila on the menu.

In fact, whatever you imagine eel tasting like is probably wrong. Conger eel has a very nice white fish texture and consistency to it.

To try Conger eel, look for congrio on the menu. Popular choices include a fried version called congrio frito, or a soup called caldillo de congrio.

Fried Conger Eel

Congrio Frito is fried Conger eel. Depending on how it is prepared, be sure to look out for bones in side. I found that while the congrio looks like white fish it has a heavier flavor and taste to it.

You can always spice it up with some pebre, the classic and ever-present Chilean salsa.

Conger Soup

A Chilean favorite is a soup made from Conger eel heads. This soup, caldillo de congrio consists of a broth made from boiling the eel heads along with onion, garlic, carrots, and peppers. Once this is prepared, only the stock is used for the rest of the recipe. Don’t worry: you won’t have to eat eel heads!

The soup stock is then combined with boiled Conger eel, other vegetables, and seasonings.

This Conger eel soup is so famous that the Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda wrote a poem as an ode to this traditional Chilean food dish.

Picture credits:
Conger Eel at the Market by Pepe
Fried Conger Eel by Juan Nosé
Conger Soup by powerplantop