Chile Forum

You can make your own almond milk, as well. it's a soak and grind operation. Not too sure of the proportions, but I have friends that make it, and they're not fancy equipment types, so rather than buying another tetra pak with its 7 (I think) layers that cannot be recycled, only reused, think about making the milk. Rice milk you might need a fancy apparatus for, but I think you'd be able to make oat milk as well, if you were interested, though I think you need to sprout the oats first, and though I've found whole oats, I have not found whole, unhusked oats, which is, I think what you need to make oat milk.

Also, I have tasted stevia straight from the leaf here in Chile (and don't like it), so I know it's available in its natural form. I had it at an ecofair in Parque Bustamante while I was visiting a friend with a booth there. You will have to look, ask questions and probably import some favorites, but bearing in mind that many items cannot be imported.

There is more available than immediately meets the eye, and perhaps there is more chatter about it in Argentina. But then you'd be living in Argentina. A whole nother can of worms.

fahrvergnugen wrote:Here's my little contribution to pay you guys back for all the input. Believe it or not I found Almond Milk in Chile!!

http://www.costanatura.cl

That is fantastic news as I consume much of that stuff - I've grown somewhat lactose intolerant and I really enjoy almond milk here in L.A. from Trader Joes.

Anyway, give these guys a shot - it's much better than rice milk.

Have to talked to them? Because they have a website doesn’t mean they yet have a business or business plan.

I asked around and those that use almond milk produce their own, almond milk and almond butter, of course in the south there is lots of marzipan. Chile produces lots of almonds so it should be produced here, but they will need a market that may not be here yet.

Almond milk - soak almonds overnight in water. In the morning disgard water. Put almonds and around a litre of (filtered) water in your blender. Blend until almonds are fine. Drain mixture through muslin/cheesecloth (I use a wrap for a baby - eta no baby in the wrap at the time ), collecting liquid in a container. Tighten cheesecloth and squeeze remaining liquid into container. You now have almond milk and almond meal. Almond meal is an excellent substitute for flour in baking. Refrigerate milk for up to 5 days. It will separate in the container, so stir before drinking.

Takes 10 minutes. I buy my almonds in bulk from our local feria, a kilo at a time.

also, just spotted today in Tostaduría Talca, the one near the intersection of Pocuro and Bilbao, almond, rice and soy milk. The soy milk is imported from Brazil, not sure about the others. I normally go to the one downtown (on Miraflores), and have not remembered seeing the fake milks, but I also wasn't looking for them.

Thanks for the almond milk tips, trabajo en progreso!

bearshapedsphere wrote:You can make your own almond milk, as well. it's a soak and grind operation. Not too sure of the proportions, but I have friends that make it, and they're not fancy equipment types, so rather than buying another tetra pak with its 7 (I think) layers that cannot be recycled, only reused, think about making the milk. Rice milk you might need a fancy apparatus for, but I think you'd be able to make oat milk as well, if you were interested, though I think you need to sprout the oats first, and though I've found whole oats, I have not found whole, unhusked oats, which is, I think what you need to make oat milk.

Actually, I really like oat milk and I could not agree with you more on not having to buy those tetra paks - plus the packages are tiny - we buy dozens here in L.A. IF anyone knows how to make good oat milk we would definitely put in the effort to give it a shot.

bearshapedsphere wrote:Also, I have tasted stevia straight from the leaf here in Chile (and don't like it), so I know it's available in its natural form. I had it at an ecofair in Parque Bustamante while I was visiting a friend with a booth there. You will have to look, ask questions and probably import some favorites, but bearing in mind that many items cannot be imported.

I agree - have tried several forms of Stevia and I only like the powder versions - and even there are variations I like and don't like. Well, it's rather dense and light weight (and you only need a tiny amount per drink or serving) so in a pinch I could import a case of that which would last me for months.

bearshapedsphere wrote:There is more available than immediately meets the eye, and perhaps there is more chatter about it in Argentina. But then you'd be living in Argentina. A whole nother can of worms.

Well, this morning I checked out Argentinian noticias and found this:

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1447230-conm ... -en-retiro

VERY discouraging to say the least...

trabajo en progreso wrote:Almond milk - soak almonds overnight in water. In the morning disgard water. Put almonds and around a litre of (filtered) water in your blender. Blend until almonds are fine. Drain mixture through muslin/cheesecloth (I use a wrap for a baby - eta no baby in the wrap at the time ), collecting liquid in a container. Tighten cheesecloth and squeeze remaining liquid into container. You now have almond milk and almond meal. Almond meal is an excellent substitute for flour in baking. Refrigerate milk for up to 5 days. It will separate in the container, so stir before drinking.

Takes 10 minutes. I buy my almonds in bulk from our local feria, a kilo at a time.

Yes, I actually found some recipes online and it seems pretty straight forward. Have you ever tried your luck with oat milk? Seems a bit tougher...

http://vegan.foroactivo.com/t90-leche-de-avena

bearshapedsphere wrote:also, just spotted today in Tostaduría Talca, the one near the intersection of Pocuro and Bilbao, almond, rice and soy milk. The soy milk is imported from Brazil, not sure about the others. I normally go to the one downtown (on Miraflores), and have not remembered seeing the fake milks, but I also wasn't looking for them.

Thanks for the almond milk tips, trabajo en progreso!

Awesome - will check that out once we're in Chile

nwdiver wrote:

fahrvergnugen wrote:Here's my little contribution to pay you guys back for all the input. Believe it or not I found Almond Milk in Chile!!

http://www.costanatura.cl

That is fantastic news as I consume much of that stuff - I've grown somewhat lactose intolerant and I really enjoy almond milk here in L.A. from Trader Joes.

Anyway, give these guys a shot - it's much better than rice milk.

Have to talked to them? Because they have a website doesn’t mean they yet have a business or business plan.

I asked around and those that use almond milk produce their own, almond milk and almond butter, of course in the south there is lots of marzipan. Chile produces lots of almonds so it should be produced here, but they will need a market that may not be here yet.

No, I did not talk to them - quite frankly I don't think my Spanish is up to that challenge just yet. I just finished the first course of Pimslar and I wouldn't want to torture those guys until I at least complete the second course.

But marzipan?? NOW you're talking - I was raised in Austria as a kid and practically grew up on that stuff

big fans of Whole Foods

Yikes. You do know that Whole Foods admitted that some of their "organic" food had GMO ingredients, right? And that they won't label their foods to warn the public "hey this food might have GMOs".
The CEO is a bit chummy with the Monsanto ilk now. Very sad.
We're former SoCal residents, into good nutrition also. Had to spend as much time in CA and FL finding healthy food as we do here now in Chile. It ain't easy. And when you find it, everything here is unbelievably expensive, so better have a good bank account.
That being said, in discovering all the ferias - organic and otherwise, bulk foods (rice, oats, nuts) and spices, and eating basic good healthy foods (not from the super expensive and processed foods supermarket), one can have a very healthy diet.

Our biggest disappointment, and one of many problems we were aware of before we moved here, is the difficulty in getting raw milk. No "lactose intolerance" nonsense with that. But once we move from Stgo, it should be easier to find a source.

To that end, thank you TIP for the almond milk recipe! We've not had milk since we moved here. There is no way I would ever drink UHT "milk" .
And regarding almonds, here in Chile the raw almonds are still that. Raw.
After last March (cesium contamination in the SoCal milk supply from Fukushima) we switched to coconut milk, NOT almond milk -
Dd you know that in the US, all almonds, even if labeled organic, must be treated with a "toxic fumigant" - thanks to the Feds? And this law was recently upheld in federal court just a few weeks ago.

The price of (food) freedom is eternal vigilance.

fahrvergnugen wrote:I agree - have tried several forms of Stevia and I only like the powder versions - and even there are variations I like and don't like. Well, it's rather dense and light weight (and you only need a tiny amount per drink or serving) so in a pinch I could import a case of that which would last me for months.

Organisk in Vitacura/Providencia sell it, it has inulin in it. $6.990 for 30g.

To the OP -

Sorry, this is a long post. But we personally feel it is important that foodies know the truth about Chile. In all ways. We cook a lot, and the raw ingredients are one reason we are in Chile. If you like to eat out and don't like to cook, you can probably skip the post. We also have recommendations as to kitchen items to bring into Chile if you do indeed cook, but will save that for another post, if there is interest, so as to not totally highjack this thread. We also recommend finding a good nana (you may have to go through several) to help with cooking/prep. That is also subject of another thread, but well worth it if you are going to be working and still want to eat well. Even though we love to cook, it does not suck to have a prep cook, if you know what I mean, or even someone to serve up lunch when we step away from the black boxes. Or just stuff more wood into the cocina.

We generally bring in the foods that we can't live without (or are too expensive) in our suitcases, to the extent that they are "legal." Things we usually bring in, as the quality sucks here and the price is rather high:

1) Peanut butter (although we are going to experiment with making our own). TSA may have actually stuck their finger in our peanut butter last time, but it may have also been our child. Peanut butter (at least in the south) is expensive and really bad.

2) Shredded coconut (they have coco rallado in Chile, but if you had it in your bags in the US they would stop you for potential drug trafficking, since, like most food items in Chile, the coco real is ground so fine they would think you were smuggling illicit drugs.*) We are also going to experiment with making our own this year, as we have seen fresh coconuts at certain times of the year, but have not costed out whether it is reasonable.

3) Dried cranberries or cherries - WORD OF WARNING - my husband tried to bring some in on our last trip and they were confiscated, although you are supposed to be able to bring these in. The SAG officer explained that because they were labeled ORGANIC, they could not come in. So, if you bring items in, you might be best to not bring things that are labeled as organic.

Things we bring in that you probably won't, since you are healthy and all, but just in case:

4) Velveeta - we are from Texas, we use it in queso. Never a problem importing this since no one in their right mind would recognize this as a food product, even though it is labeled as cheese.
5) Rotel - the other magic ingredient in queso. This mostly elicits an eyeroll in Chile since they cannot understand why anyone would actually import tomatoes into Chile in a can when the tomatoes most likely came to the US from Chile in fresh form anyway.
6) Pumpkin pie filling - you can do a search on the forum and see why. I will just say that we could have sold the pumpkin pie we made last year on turkey day for a mint, but we ate it ourselves and gifted a few pieces. We will try to make fresh as others have done, because we also brought in ....
7) Allspice.
Tony's seasoning - you either know what this is or you don't. If you do, you know why we bring it. If you don't, well, c'est la vie.

We have also brought in:
9) Baking powder - I really don't think it is the same in Chile.
10) Empty spice jars. Laugh all you want now. Or when you come to Chile I will sell you some of mine. At 2500 pesos per.

Things they do have in Chile that are wonderful if you indeed like good food (others have noted this already):

11) Fresh fish - if you do not live on the coast, figure out the nearest coastal town that has a fish market. If you have to travel for fish like we do, make one of your pieces of luggage a cooler. Igloo-type coolers are crazy expensive in Chile versus the US. Make ice ahead of time at your house in Chile and stock up for your trip to the coastal fish market. Fish is lovely and fresh and cheap, but the price goes up considerably if you end up paying 900 pesos a kilo for ice (or even 450 a kilo if you can find it) to pack your cooler for the way home. If you buy fish other than at the dock, it will be more expensive. If you buy fish inland, it will be silly expensive (though still cheaper than WF by a long shot); it will also be worse than if you had bought it in US because (I think) they are required to freeze it to transport it. They do a much poorer job of freezing fish for transport within Chile than they do to transport from Chile to US.

12) Fresh produce - You will not be able to go to the feria and buy a week's worth of produce. It is too fresh here. You can buy a couple of days' worth at a time and eat it before it goes bad. Hopefully you will come to enjoy going to the fruit market, talking to the owner, and look forward to it as part of your day. You will be amazed what can happen. We "introduced" banana bread to our local market. They had never heard of it. We now get the old bananas for free from the owner, and we take him some bread in exchange.

13) Everyone has already mentioned the wine! Here is how to have fun - learn to find the good bottles on the bottom shelf that are less than 2000 CLP per bottle (sometimes much less); tell your friends about them in US, suffer through their laughter and ridicule as they see them on their bottom shelf at $5 per bottle, which they would never buy; two years later laugh at them as they tell you about the fantastic wine that they have "discovered" from Chile, at a bargain price of $12 - $15 per bottle, which is, of course, the same wine that you told them about that is now 3000 CLP per bottle. But you, of course, have moved onto the next 1500 CLP bottle that they will be drinking in 2 years. Lather, rinse, repeat. Try not to fall over when your friends/family come to Chile and want to buy the top shelf wines that are 7500 CLP per bottle.

14) Whole/brown grains - these are starting to become much more mainstream relative to when we first showed up here in 2007. Brown rice, whole wheat flour (even different grinds), quinoa, soy (for those of you that are not afraid of bio-identical hormones), etc. Be mindful of what you buy - oatmeal (avena) is everywhere, but don't buy it unless it is in a clear bag and you can see it. As mentioned below, Chileans are afraid of big food, so "traditional oatmeal" is really just a dust that is unrecognizable when cooked. It does not even suffice for cookies. [Jaja, also, don't buy avena at the market, because it is literally bird food - trigo (wheat) from the market or pet food store is also good bird food - it will germinate and start to grow in your yard if the birds don't eat it - this can be a bug or a feature - I leave that to you.]

Things that are pricey or suck-ey and prohibitive or illegal to bring in, so just get used to it:

15) Meat - Sorry, meat is expensive here. Pork, chicken, turkey, red meat. All of these things are gallingly expensive relative to US; you might not notice, if you buy meat at WF, but most US shoppers will be shocked. Also, you may be used to this if you buy WF free rangey stuff, but the meat here smells very meat-y. You will get used to this, but your first few (or many) meals, you will wonder whether or not to toss the meat or serve it to your family. You will also eventually learn that it cooks very differently than meat in the US. Not as many injected fluids. You will learn new cuts of meat (search the forum). If you eat pork, you will learn of some very tasty parts that I am quite certain do not exist in US. If you like bacon, eat as much as you can before you leave the US. Like enough to where you are sick and say to yourself, "I will NEVER eat bacon again." This technique will maybe get you through your first three months in Chile before you are ready to give one of those cute kids of yours for real bacon. When you go back to US, repeat.

16) Restaurant food - YMMV. Where we live in the south, restaurant food is sucky, expensive, and disappointing. Luckily, we are not eat-out people, so we don't care. Others do. We hear it is better in Santiago. We don't go to that place, so we can't speak to that.

17) Beer - There is some nice beer in Chile. It costs a lot. But if you shop at WF, you won't notice the prices in Chile. A couple of bucks for a beer [at the grocery store] is pricey for us, but is probably right in line with West Coast. We like Kuntsmann and Austral. We tried a lot, and I mean pretty much the whole shelf of artesenal dark beers in the big grocery store in Valdivia**, and, well, I would personally recommend that you stick with Kuntsmann and Austral. Where we live they also have Crater, which is supposedly available at Jumbo throughout Chile, but we have not always found that to be the case.

18) Yellow cheese - really, anything you would recognize as cheese. You can search the forum. If you really like cheese, do the same as I recommended as to bacon. You will likely sorely miss cheese, or pay more than you would pay for gold for mediocre cheese.

Hope this is helpful.
___

*We suspect that Chileans are afraid of "big" food, so most things are shredded to ensure safety. You will find that any dish that contains what once was a vegetable has had the vegetable diced or shredded to where it is no longer recognizable. Maybe this is like killing vampires, don't know. But the corporeal essence of onions, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, aji, etc. cannot be discerned in any dish, although they are in there.

** Unlike the Chileans, we took our beers out of the store prior to drinking them. That means, that unlike the Chileans we saw that night, we actually paid for them as well. See other posts on this topic with search feature.

Good post Picaleña... skating over some of the dicier stuff like Velveeta , I just wanted to mention that dried cranberries are available in Chile, I know of two producers in the south, http://www.cranchile.cl in Lanco and http://www.frutconcept.cl/ in Valdivia (I believe these guys still exist, though I didn't stop there this time around). I don't think they claim their products are organic, but certainly the Frutconcept people were very friendly and you could ask them directly where their berries come from. The fruit production from the whole area is being monitored for contamination from volcanic ash.

You should be able to get very good fresh fruit right now. My favourite Chilean fruit, murtas, should be showing up in the markets, they make it up to Santiago as well.