Chile Forum

I went to Jumbo last week and bought what the lady at the cheese counter considered to be "picante". I told her I wanted something with bucket loads of flavor. Unfortunately when I tasted it at home, it was VERY bland, not just somewhat bland, I'm talking "no taste at all" bland. I bought a couple of other cheeses in other good supermarkets - same thing. BLAND as heck.

I did go to Pucara, a tiny shop selling excellent yogurt in Vitacura and had their most flavorful cheese, and yes that had more flavor, but alas, not strong enough. I realize I must buy more aged cheese but I am truly having a hard time finding it in Santiago. I had amazing aged sheep's cheese at the La Casona Vina Matetic Hotel restaurant (in the Casablanca Valley very close to Santiago), but I cannot find aged sheep's or goat cheese here.

HELP!!! I am getting really really desperate now for strong tasting cheese. I did go to La Coquinaria at the W Hotel in Santiago but the prices are out of this world. I remember seeing the prices for roquefort and other blue-veined cheeses and almost fainted. It's pretty astounding what they get away with in terms of prices for cheese and cured meats.

Finally, a word about jamon serrano. Thanks to all who pointed me to Jumbo and various other markets. However, I have not found one where there is actually a whole leg of jamon hanging from the ceiling where they cut 200 to 300 grams, or whatever weight you desire. All of the jamon serrano I have found is VACUUM-PACKED! What is going on here?

I can't stand the Chilean food. It's probably the crappiest cuisine that exists. Bland doesn’t even describe half the shit here. I don't mean to be rude and I’m by far not a picky eater. I will eat anything, but I want to at least enjoy what I eat. I understand your frustration. My only suggestion, learn to make things yourself. (Including the cheese – I’m not kidding).

As for the jamon serrano, I'm unsure as to why you’re having a hard time finding it. I see it every time I go to Jumbo.

Please tell me their hot sauces are hot!! I'm a huge fan of exotic foods and tastes so will definitely need some good hot sauces if some of the foods are bland.

If you want hot sauces, you better bring them or have somebody keep your safety stock replenished. Most of the bottled stuff is really salty. However, some of the homemade stuff can be very good and in the south, hot.

Tabasco? I can make do with tabasco. It also has a low salt to spice ratio.

P.S., Sorry for the hijack.

waves wrote:Tabasco? I can make do with tabasco. It also has a low salt to spice ratio.

P.S., Sorry for the hijack.

Pretty sure they sell Tabasco at Jumbo. I think I have even seen a version of it at leader under the new "international foods section" which is basically one rack that holds a variety of great value (walmart brand) products.

There is a company in Chile that makes a line of sauces that will hold up to international standards. One of my favorites is El Diablo (not sure what their name is, will look at home, has a bull snorting fire on the flask). Talked to the owner at a booth at an agricultural fair down south last summer, and he had traveled to around the World to various hot sauce events like they hold in Texas. So, he knew that his sauces were nothing like what they have in the States or Asia, but so far they are the best thing I have found.

His assistant boasted that he had the hottest sauce in the World. I tried it. He asked me if I had ever tasted anything that hot. I told him the fact that I am still talking to him, means it is nowhere near the hottest. My scale is general is, if you stop being able to talk, it is around an 8. A 9 is when you can no longer breath correctly. A 10, well I am still alive, so have not found it. So, on my scale I would say it was like a 6 or 7, 5 being about what I would consider a comfortable cooking sauce, and anything above a 4 in my experience would kill most Chileans on contact.

I have made my Chili for Chileans, and most think I am trying to poison them. Even when I go really light on the spices to the point it is almost unrecognizable as Chile. My wife over the years has gotten use to the very spicy food I make and likes it, but I still have to give her a fair warning about just how spicy it is.

I have found various imported sauces at Jumbo and Lider from time to time, but it is very sporadic. Buy them when you see them.

As for cheese, go to the local markets. Ask for what Chileans say has too much flavor or is too old. Either that or pay through the nose for the imported stuff. Even then, they seem to import fairly low quality cheese (lived in the Netherlands for a year, so have had the good stuff). still it is better than the domestic cheeses.

By the way, I have found these Louisiana hot sauce's at Jumbo a few times:
http://www.brucefoods.com/louisiana-hotsauce.html
and this is the hottest I have found sold in Chile:
http://www.brucefoods.com/mystOre/produ ... roduct=185

Again, stock up if you find them. They seem to stock them like once a year, if you are lucky.

I'm intrigued to hear that one can get HOT sauce in Chile now. I've been surviving on a handful of bottles that I imported N years back. It is always a lot of fun to feed them to native Chileans:

http://extremefood.com/shop/home.php?cat=5
http://www.insanechicken.com/da-bomb-hot-sauce/

The ritual goes like this. Victim asks "is it very hot?". I say "yes", very matter-of-factly. Victim looks smug and eats a teaspoonful with a look of defiance. I watch in amusement as their expression gradually turns into a look of total disbelief after about 10 seconds and then their head disappears under the kitchen tap for the next 10 minutes. I start to feel bad and produce some milk from the fridge and have a teaspoonful of sauce myself. But I comfort myself with the knowledge that the person has found a new level of understanding of what a hot thing tastes like, beyond what they could have imagined previously.

Having said that, there is a very nice chilli sauce produced up here called "Aji Diaguitas". You can get it in any supermarket locally (not sure about the rest of Chile). It is simply pure chilli juice with a bit of salt added -- a bit like Tabasco but without the vinegar. I have it on my eggs every morning. It's not insanely hot by any means but has a very good flavour IMO and only costs mil pesos.

James.

admin wrote:There is a company in Chile that makes a line of sauces that will hold up to international standards. One of my favorites is El Diablo (not sure what their name is, will look at home, has a bull snorting fire on the flask). Talked to the owner at a booth at an agricultural fair down south last summer, and he had traveled to around the World to various hot sauce events like they hold in Texas. So, he knew that his sauces were nothing like what they have in the States or Asia, but so far they are the best thing I have found.

His assistant boasted that he had the hottest sauce in the World. I tried it. He asked me if I had ever tasted anything that hot. I told him the fact that I am still talking to him, means it is nowhere near the hottest. My scale is general is, if you stop being able to talk, it is around an 8. A 9 is when you can no longer breath correctly. A 10, well I am still alive, so have not found it. So, on my scale I would say it was like a 6 or 7, 5 being about what I would consider a comfortable cooking sauce, and anything above a 4 in my experience would kill most Chileans on contact.

I have made my Chili for Chileans, and most think I am trying to poison them. Even when I go really light on the spices to the point it is almost unrecognizable as Chile. My wife over the years has gotten use to the very spicy food I make and likes it, but I still have to give her a fair warning about just how spicy it is.

I have found various imported sauces at Jumbo and Lider from time to time, but it is very sporadic. Buy them when you see them.

As for cheese, go to the local markets. Ask for what Chileans say has too much flavor or is too old. Either that or pay through the nose for the imported stuff. Even then, they seem to import fairly low quality cheese (lived in the Netherlands for a year, so have had the good stuff). still it is better than the domestic cheeses.

Poison them?! Ha, that's funny. And provides a ton of information. Okay, I'll have to bring a bunch of my spices with us. If I have any left over before we leave I'll try and post up here and see if anyone in Santiago wants to take them off my hands.

I used to be a hot sauce fanatic, actually extreme fanatic, but I've since toned it way down focusing more on complimenting the course with the right taste and heat level, while still getting a good degree of heat. Different ethnic foods require different spices or else it just doesn't taste right.

Thanks for the info.

jehturner wrote:I'm intrigued to hear that one can get HOT sauce in Chile now. I've been surviving on a handful of bottles that I imported N years back. It is always a lot of fun to feed them to native Chileans:

http://extremefood.com/shop/home.php?cat=5
http://www.insanechicken.com/da-bomb-hot-sauce/

The ritual goes like this. Victim asks "is it very hot?". I say "yes", very matter-of-factly. Victim looks smug and eats a teaspoonful with a look of defiance. I watch in amusement as their expression gradually turns into a look of total disbelief after about 10 seconds and then their head disappears under the kitchen tap for the next 10 minutes. I start to feel bad and produce some milk from the fridge and have a teaspoonful of sauce myself. But I comfort myself with the knowledge that the person has found a new level of understanding of what a hot thing tastes like, beyond what they could have imagined previously.

Having said that, there is a very nice chilli sauce produced up here called "Aji Diaguitas". You can get it in any supermarket locally (not sure about the rest of Chile). It is simply pure chilli juice with a bit of salt added -- a bit like Tabasco but without the vinegar. I have it on my eggs every morning. It's not insanely hot by any means but has a very good flavour IMO and only costs mil pesos.

James.

James, just noticed you're in La Serena. We'll be leaving La Serena to go back to Canada in March 2012. If you want my left over spices you're welcome to them. Anything in particular you need? I'm still in Canada so the sky's the limit if you're looking for something in particular.

if Chileans think you are trying to poison them with hot sauce, give a Chilean some root beer. AWESOME!!