Re: [CH] Digest V5 #123 - Chile
Cameron Begg (begg.4@osu.edu)
Tue, 24 Nov 1998 12:03:50 -0600
Hi C-H's,
Scott Peterson wrote:
>Chilean cooking is split right down the middle.
>The lower class is very native,
>corn based food.
>Middle/upper class is very European.
While this may be true of Santiago and it's rural surroundings, one has to
remember the extraordinary diversity of the country. If peeled off the
globe, turned 90deg, and laid across the US, it would stick out into the
oceans both sides.
The huge Western coastline and relative narrowness of the country provides
fresh seafood almost everywhere. The fish we ate in Punta Arenas is the
equal of any I have eaten anywhere, and the mussels were absolutely the
best. (I'm from Scotland remember!) One of my favorites from down South was
a mixed chowder - a "fruits de la mer" kind of thing - with a whole aji
(about 5" long) served in each bowl.
The "hot sauce", such as it is, was readily available in plastic envelopes
and referred to as "Aji Chileno". Similar stuff is made there by many
different manufacturers but it just is not very hot or flavorful. I tried
about a dozen different sorts before I went back to the stash I had taken
with me. That's right - chiles to Chile.
The middle of the country is a puzzle. It is amazingly cosmopolitan with
people from all parts of N. and S. America and Europe. However the food is
universally bland. Ask for some meat ("lomo") and you'll likely get a chunk
of Argentinian beef of some unknown cut heated to about "medium". The
salads and vegetables are unimaginative, which is odd for a country that
can grow just about anything. The produce sections of the supermarkets were
well stocked with fresh food, but there is a better selection of peppers at
my local "Big Bear"! If in doubt, eat seafood and bread. They are
excellent bakers of bread.
The Northern tropical Atacama desert is a place where nothing will grow
except in the mostly dried up river valleys. They simply don't get enough
rain. Efforts are being made to open up this area to tourists; so most of
the food must be flown and trucked in. A neat little town up there is San
Pedro de Atacama. Almost a hippy atmosphere. Plenty of restaurants
supplying the usual trendy fare. You can have your linguine "a la" whatever
you like there.
All in all Chileans enjoy a pretty high standard of living. Across the
border in Bolivia however, things are very different.
Regards, Cameron.