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 Menu Restaurants,
Bars, Cafés |
Food & Drink
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Typical meals in Chile consist
mainly of lots of meat, especially beef and chicken, rice
and potatoes, fresh fruit and vegetables from the fields
of Central Chile. Even though seafood could be the common
daily meal in Chile with its 5.000 km long coast, it is
not. But you will surely find a fresh seafood selection
on every menu.
Coffee and Cafés
The coffee culture in Chile has improved, but many simple
restaurants and bars still serve Nescafé. Look
for an espresso machine and then order “café
café” or “café espress”.
In the center of Santiago you can find a true Chilean
specialty: The Chileans call these dim places “café
con piernas” (café with legs). Men in grey
suits are served "espresso", "café
con leche" or "cortado" by young women
in miniskirts, bikinis or in their lingerie. These places
are not recommended to women.
Natural food & Health-food shops
The offer of natural and organic food has improved noticeably
over the last years. Meanwhile also the supermarkets have
a tiny section of “productos orgánicos",
and sometimes you can even find dark bread in between
the endless selection of white buns. You can get wholewheat
bread and fresh natural food at the following stores:
- Trigal del Sol, José Manuel Infante 2452
(Ñuñoa), Tel. 223 41 86. Bread, whole
foods, natural cosmetics
- Tierra Viva,
Dr. Johow 889-A (Ñuñoa), Tel. 239 15
51. Fruit and vegetables from organic cultivation,
Tofu, biological yoghurt, wholewheat bread etc.
- He'e Nalú, Tel. 275-0792, rikoz@ctcinternet.cl.
Free delivery of wholewheat bread, honey and other
natural products.
Chilean specialties
The list of typical Chilean food is rather small, but
you should not miss to try the following:
- Pastel de Choclo: corn casserole with meat stuffing
- Empanadas: pastry filled with meat, cheese or mussels
- Cazuela: homemade stew with beef, chicken, corn,
rice and potatoes
- Asado: barbecue of beef, pork or chicken
- Reineta, Congrio, Corvina: the most typical fish
- Locos: a rare type of mollusks
- Jaiva: shrimp, crab
- Centolla: king crab with tender meat of reddish
color
Enjoy your meal with the excellent Chilean wine and go
ahead and have one or two Pisco Sour!
For further dishes see Menu.
Tip
In restaurants and cafés a tip of 10% is expected.
It is not included in the bill. Usually people leave a
tip on the table when they leave.
Preventive measures
Even though Chile is a country with high hygienical standards,
you should give your stomach the time to get accustomed
to the Chilean food and, at least during your first days,
keep in mind the following advice:
- The quality of the tap water is good, but its heavily
chlorinated. Therefore, we recommend you avoid drinks
which contain tap water or ice-cubes made from tap
water. In case of doubt it is better to set aside
green salads, berries, unpeeled tomatoes and herbs,
because maybe they have been watered or washed with
objectionable water.
- It is better to eat cooked rather than raw vegetables.
- Don't eat raw fish or shellfish.
- Avoid eating at market stalls or street vendors.
- If you have stomach problems: take two "carpent"
daily, available in the pharmacy.
Marea Roja: It's a sickness
caused by poisonous microalgae, which might be concentrated
in some shellfish during certain times of the year in
southern Chile and Patagonia. In case of doubt don't eat
raw shellfish! |
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Yummy dish "Pastel de Choclo" |
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