Chile Forum

I would like to know what ingredients or spices (that are used in the US ) are not available in Chile.And I was also wondering for those americans in Chile, what type of foods or dishes you really miss.

Well I am always missing things with strong flavors. We do a lot of cooking at home simply because things like the standard American BBQ can not be found. The sauce can be found however at most every good size grocery store in the country. Often a few different brands from the States. Which is a bit odd, considering I have never seen a Chilean use it. I still like to use it as a base and than add my own spices to it depending on what I am cooking.

Just the plain old hamburger is always better at home. I would never eat any of the hamburgers they sell in Chile.

Big one I am missing is Rubin sandwich.

Strong dill pickles are hard to find also and expensive.

Mayo is another thing that has been turned in to tasteless white or yellow stuff. Even the international brands that are sold in Chile have modified their taste for the market. There is no zip in your miracle whip.

Lately I have had good luck finding safeway brand salad dressings at Lider directly imported from the States without the formula messed with. Blue cheese is really blue cheese, and not white liquid in a bottle.

Chileans are starting to get a bit of a taste for strong foreign flavors, but it is still rare. Sushi is big in Santiago. Even Temuco has a Sushi joint. We have not had a chance to try it yet.

In Santiago though there are several Sushi places owned and operated by Japanese. Together with the wide selection of fresh and cheap fish, it makes for some of the cheapest and best Sushi in the world. A typical night out eating all the sushi you want for say 2 people, and drinks runs around 20,000-30,000 pesos at one of the better places.

REAL Mexican food.

There are Mexican places all over Chile, but the food is just criminally bad. Their menu is based on a photo they seen on the side of the can. As Chileans are not big on strong flavors, especially spicy flavors, the Mexican food gets just destroyed.

We got really excited a couple of months ago when we seen a Tai takeout place open a couple blocks away from us in Temuco. I interrogated the poor girl that worked there hard about what they meant by "Tai". Do You really know what that word means? Come on, Tai comes with warning labels in most countries regarding the spice.

It was basically some really really bland overcooked noodles. But we keep searching. Once in a while we find a real diamond.

I almost forgot. AMERICAN BREAKFAST. There is no such thing in Chile.

Chileans in general do not eat breakfast. Generally breakfast say at hotels means just coffee (instant coffee), and some cheese, meet, and perhaps some bread.

But the big big American Breakfast has to be done at home. It has been a tradition since I met my wife that I do American breakfast once a week.

We recently find some good quality brautworst at the supermarket. Perhaps not super good quality German stuff, but fairly good. With a can of good imported German beer, it is almost Germany.

I haven't found good imported european or even good copies of cheese. It probably exists but not in the big markets. Stilton, gorgonzola, Brie , parmesan etc???? I don't live there and when doing shopping and cooking I have been in the lake district and all that is available is the very bland stuff made by local dairy companies.The Argentinians are into making european style cheeses, and they were easy to find in Argentina. The cheddars are OK and the mild white cheeses, charles mentioned blue chees, what i have had was ok but not for a real cheese lover.

I also found it surprising that pepper trees are everywhere, you could pick aromatic pink peppercorns off the trees in many plazas all over chile. But the only peppercorns available to buy were imported.Strange that no one has tapped that market in such an agricultural area.

What's an standard american BBQ? I guess the definition could be from what part of the US you are eating it. I recently went to Valdivia and purchase some ground meat from the supermarket and what a difference in flavor from the US meat. I found it to be very flavorful, just excellent.So I made awesome hamburgers, with chopped onions in it, juicy, full of flavor and I was pleasantly surprised to find portobella mushrooms.I was in heaven.

Standard BBQ could be ribs or could be like "pulled pork",or fall off the bone brisket in a BBQ sauce and sold as a BBQ sandwich. these can be hard to find anywhere exceopt as you said in certain regions. Ribs are generally available where i live but nowhere near as good as a great Rib joint in the US. I do remember being invited to parties in Chile,where a pig was slow roated on a spit over an open fire, but I do not now recall what it was basted with.

As a rule, us chileans don't have great tolerance for sweet and salty foods combined, therefore I was never ever able to make or eat that BBQ sauce and never mind the smokey smell, it totally gets to me and I find it plain nasty.I'm a very fuzzy eater and I'm totally partial to italian food (I was married to an italian) and I consider myself (very humbly) an excellent cook.I was never able either to develop the taste for the so called "Miracle Whip" or mayonaise.If I don't make it myself, I won't eat it.
I was wondering if they make apple pie, pumpkin pie or fruit pies of any kind and muffins in Chile.

Well as a purist mayonaise and Miracle whip are not the same at all, but thats another topic.
Chile has fabulous pastry, the Germans brough "Kuchen" with them and the ,now, Chilean version is fantastic, it is kind of like a pie or a tart but the crust is tender and more like a cookie or a cake, some have a custard layer, but all have fruit, sometimes cooked like apples, or fresh like strawberry or blackberry and raspberry and combinations. My husband goes wild for Kuchen, maybe the main reason he wants to be in Chile. Chilean bakeries are also famous for there cream cakes of which there are infinite varieties and as good as bakery goods get. Yes there are muffins and cupcakes ,turno9vers,cream napoleans ,etc and very good ones to boot. we have explored baked goods from north to south and I don't think you will miss anything in that department.
there are excellent chocolates available also, someone posted that there wasn't good chocolate somewhere on this forum (diferent thread) and I say, they weren't looking on the right shelf.

helibel wrote:Chile has fabulous pastry, the Germans brough "Kuchen" with them and the ,now, Chilean version is fantastic, it is kind of like a pie or a tart but the crust is tender and more like a cookie or a cake, some have a custard layer, but all have fruit, sometimes cooked like apples, or fresh like strawberry or blackberry and raspberry and combinations. My husband goes wild for Kuchen, maybe the main reason he wants to be in Chile. Chilean bakeries are also famous for there cream cakes of which there are infinite varieties and as good as bakery goods get. Yes there are muffins and cupcakes ,turno9vers,cream napoleans ,etc and very good ones to boot. we have explored baked goods from north to south and I don't think you will miss anything in that department.
there are excellent chocolates available also, someone posted that there wasn't good chocolate somewhere on this forum (diferent thread) and I say, they weren't looking on the right shelf.

It's nice to know about the pastries, but as a chocolholic I really need to know: where do you find the good chocolate???

I called my husband to see if he remembers the several brands he liked. He has to think. My recollection is that it was easy to find, they are much larger than say a hershey bar, they come in , dark, light , milk, and different kinds with nuts etc. But as you would anywhere look for the chocolate "licor" content, the higher the number the better the chocolate. Avoid the cheap "chocolate flavored" candy that is everywhere.
we even found good chocolate in the markets associated with the gas stations on "ruta 5".; I have a feeling "chocaholism" is a common malady in Chile