A LAND OF DELICIOUS VARIETY

As you’d expect from a country with over 2,500 miles of coastline, seafood is a staple part of the Chilean diet. From sea bream and scallops to less familiar delicacies, such as razor clams and kingclip, restaurants and market stalls alike offer a choice and quality that rival the best you’ll find anywhere in the world.

But there’s much more to our cuisine than just fish. Empanadas are a popular snack – similar to a pasty and filled with anything from diced meat to cheese. While curanto, a favourite from the south, gives you a taste of everything – combining meat, shellfish and vegetables in a tasty casserole, traditionally cooked in a pit lined with hot stones.

Unlike in other parts of South America, hot chilli peppers are not a staple ingredient of Chilean cooking. More common ingredients are garlic and onions, which are often ground together with tomatoes to create the chancho en piedra seasoning.

Chileans have something of a sweet tooth too. Manjar is a delicious, caramel-like mixture, used for everything from spreading on bread to filling pastries and berlins (a much-loved round doughnut).

And to turn a meal into a feast, what better than a glass of our local wine? We’d suggest a full-bodied Merlot to accompany Bistec a lo Pobre - a hearty steak dish, made with onions and potatoes. Or to go with zarzuela, the classic seafood stew found on most restaurant menus, perhaps a crisp, fruity Sauvignon Blanc.

Cheers! Or 'Salud, amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo (Health, love and time to enjoy it), as we say in Chile.