The Essence of..... Latin America An exploration of the world through food and drink

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PROFILE The variety of cuisine to be found in Latin America is considerable and exciting and continues to grow in popularity as the public continually seek new cuisines and authenticity. Argentina Argentine cuisine is influenced by waves of European immigration, particularly from Italy. You'll find many Italian restaurants and pizzerias, plus heladerias, or ice-cream parlours, serving Italian cuisine and gelatos . Argentina is known for its beef, and many meals are based on substantial amounts of carne, but other foods are certainly available. Lingering after an evening meal with a sobremesa is a customary time for conversation. Popular dishes in Argentina are: Asado: various cuts of meat cooked over coals and usually served with chimichurri marinade, french fries and salad; also called a parillada Carbonada: beef stew with rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, apples and pears Puchero: beef, chicken, bacon, sausage, corn, peppers, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, sweet potatoes, squash casserole; may have beans Sopa a la criolla: roasted suckling pig Ñoquis: gnocchi or potato dumplings served with marinara or other tomato sauce Arroz con pollo: chicken and rice casserole with eggs and vegetables Puchero de gallina: chicken, sausage, corn, potato and squash Locro: corn, white beans, beef, sausage, squash in a stew Empanada de humita: pasty filled with corn, onion, cheese and flour Chile Chilean cuisine tends to the international, plus wonderful seafood that forms the base of many favoured dishes. Ethnic restaurants abound in the cities. Vegetarian meals are available. Chilean wines are superb. Beer, aguardiente and imported hard liquors are popular. Make sure you try a Pisco Sour, made with egg white, lemon juice and powdered sugar. Some popular dishes in Chile are: Cazuela: soup with meat or chicken, potato, corn and squash or other vegetables Pastel de choclo: corn pie with meat, vegetables, chicken, olives and hard-boiled eggs Lomo a lo pobre: fried beef, eggs, onions and french fries Arroz con pollo: chicken and rice casserole Curanto: seafood stew with chicken, pork, lamb, beef and potato Chupes: stews of fish or beef Ecuador Don't expect rich, strong coffee in Ecuador. You can order an espresso in some restaurants, but coffee is generally available in a liquid concentrated form and you mix your own. You might do better with black tea, té which is served with sugar and lemon, or an herbal tea, té de hierbas, or hot chocolate. When in Ecuador, try: Caldo or sopa: soups, available as a breakfast item in markets Churrasco: beef, fried eggs, vegetables, fried potatoes, avocado, rice and tomato Cuy: grilled guinea pig Lechón: ; roasted suckling pig Llapingachos: potato and cheese pancake, often served with small bits of meat Tortillas de maiz: corn pancakes Locro: soup with potatoes, corn and avocado Parrilla: mixed meat barbequed Argentine style Yaguarlocro: locro made with blood sausage; an acquired taste Brazil This huge country offers a cuisine as diverse as its regions and climates, with the staples being rice and beans. Manioc is used as a flour and a seasoning. Many dishes show their African roots. Fruits are many and varied, some found only in Brazil. Fruit juices are popular and served pure, as a suco. Ask for it sem açucar if you don't want added sugar, e gelo, if you want it iced, or natural. Try a milkshake batido de fruta, and a guaraná, which is a soft drink made with the juice of an Amazonian fruit. Beer is served in large size as cerveja, in a smaller container as cervejinha. Cachaça, pinga and aguardente are names for very potent, inexpensive sugar-cane alcohol. Mixed with fruit juice, crushed ice and sugar, Cachaça becomes a caipirinha, which when mixed right, is delicious. If vodka is used instead of Cachaça, it is a caipirosca. Rum makes another alternative. Specialities when you're in Brazil: Acarajé: fried mashed bean balls stuffed with vatapá Carne de sol: grilled salted meat served with beans, rice and vegetables Caruru: mixture of okra, shrimp, vegetables and peppers made into a sauce for fish Cozido: stew with many vegetables Feijoada: meat stew served with rice and beans Mocueca: seafood sauce/stew made with coconut milk and cooked in a clay pot Pato no tucupi: roast duck with tucupi sauce made from manioc and vegetables Peixe a delícia: broiled or grilled fish served with bananas and coconut milk Piracuru ao forno: Amazon river fish baked with lemon and seasonings Tutu á mineira: bean, bacon and manioc sauce served with cabbage Vatapá: seafood served with sauce of manioc, coconut and dendé oil Paraguay Guarani cooking styles and names are reflected in the Paraguayan diet. Fruit, vegetables and meat are consumed along with manioc and corn. When in Paraguay, be sure to try: Parrillada: various cuts of meat cooked over coals as in Argentina Mazamorroa: corn mush Sopa paraguaya: corn bread with cheese and onion Mbaipy-so-ó: corn pudding with chunks of meat Bori-bori: chicken soup with cornmeal dumplings Sooyo sopy: soup with ground meat, served with rice or noodles Mbaipy-he-é;: dessert of corn, milk and molasses Chipa soo: ; corn bread with a meat filling Chipa : manioc bread with egg and cheese Uruguay Uruguay reflects European traditions in some of its cuisine, as well as influences from neighboring countries. Meat is a staple at meals and parilladas are common. Local sausages are very tasty. Try chajá , sponge cake with cream and jam, pastries, and lemon pie. When in Uruguay, try: Parrilla: grilled meats, Argentine style Puchero: beef, vegetables, chicken, bacon, beans and sausages Chivito: steak sandwich with lettuce, bacon, tomato cheese; a larger version is chivito al plato Olympicos: club sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato Cazuela: soup made with either seafood or tripe Peru International cuisine is popular and available in the larger restaurants of Peru, but make sure you try the local dishes in the chicherías and picanterías. Spicy foods are arequipeña or a la criolla,and ethnic cooking is more prevalent in the highlands. Peruvian beer is very good. Wines are not as good as Chilean or Argentine wines, but Pisco is superb. Chicha is usually home-made and varies in potency. While in Peru, try these specialities: Ceviche: cold raw seafood marinated in lemon juice, peppers and onions, served with cold potatoes Lomo saltado: fried chopped steak with onions, tomatoes, potatoes and rice Palta a la jardinera: avocado stuffed with cold vegetables or salad Sopa a la criolla: roasted suckling pig Escabeche: fish with onions, peppers, prawns, eggs and olives Chupe de camarones: shrimp stew Papa a la huancaina: potatoes with a spicy sauce and cheese Causa: potatoes with lemons, peppers, hard-boiled eggs, olives, sweet potato, lettuce, cheese. served with onion sauce Cuy: guinea pig Anticucho de corazón: shish kebabs with beef hearts Locro: soup with potatoes, corn and avocado Rocoto relleno: green peppers stuffed with beef and vegetables Choclo con queso: corn on the cob with melted cheese Tamales: ground corn stuffed with meat or cheese then steamed in a leaf Bolivia The cuisine of Bolivia is suited to the high, cold climate in the altiplano: lots of peppers, aji, and food served picante, spicy hot, although you can request medio picante or poco picante for medium or less hot. In the altiplano, cuisine relies on carbohydrates and protein from potatoes and meats, plus trout, trucha, from Lake Titicaca. In the lowlands, freshwater fish, vegetables, fruits are more popular. Note: meat and eggs from endangered species are often on the menu in lowland restaurants. If the demand for these is lessened, perhaps these species will stand a chance at survival. Favourites in Bolivia are: Chairo: lamb soup with potatoes, vegetables, chuños and ají Carne de sol: grilled salted meat served with beans, rice and vegetables Chuño or tunta: freeze dried potato Empanadas: cheese pasties Humitas: ground corn steamed in corn leaves Llajua and halpahuayca: popular bottled hot sauces Pacumuta: beef chunks Pique a lo macho: chopped beef with onions and vegetables Pukacapas: spicy cheese pasties Sajta de pollo ; chicken in hot sauce with chuños, vegetables Saice: spicy meat soup Salteñas: meat and vegetable pasties, usually eaten in the morning Silpancho: beef prepared schnitzel style Tucumana: a juicier salteña Colombia Colombia has a varied regional cuisine and some wonderful fruits. Do try them. You'll be offered coffee in various forms: tinto: small cup of strong, black coffee perico or pintado: small cup of coffee with milk café con leche: coffee with lots of milk Rum is good and popular along the coast. You'll find mixed results with chicha and guarapo which is home-brewed mix of fruit in agua de panela. Aguardiente is popular, but local wines are not recommended. Ajiaco: chicken soup with potatoes, corn and capers Bandeja paisa: ground beef, chorizo, beans, fried plátano, fried egg, chicarrón, and avocado Cuy: grilled guinea pig Hormiga culona: fried ants - unique to Santander Lechona: baked pig stuffed with meat, rice, peas Tamales: pork, rice and vegetables mix, steamed in banana leaves Venezuela Fruit juices are popular and served pure, batido or watered down or as a merengado or milkshake. Beer is popular, as in rum. Look for: Arepas: flat bread, either served plain at meals or filled with meat, cheese, or fish and eaten as a snack from an arepera Cachapa: fresh corn pancake, like a tortilla, served with cheese and/or ham Cachito: hot bread roll stuffed with ham Hallaca: meat, vegetables, olive stuffing in corn dough, steamed in plantain leaves Mondongo: tripe cooked in bouillon with vegetables, corn and potatoes Muchacho: roast loin of beef in sauce Pabellón: shredded beef, rice, beans, and fried plantain Parillada: barbequed meats Sancocho: fish stew with vegetables Guyana Guyana's cuisine shows definite ethnic influences. East Indian flavours, Chinese food, and creole cuisine influence Guyanese cooking. Juices, beer and a fruit punch are popular beverages. Enjoy spicy pepperpot stew, perhaps made with iguana or watrash, cook-up rice, curries, cow-heel soup and seafood dishes. French Guiana Here you'll enjoy international cuisine plus Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian dishes. Imported soft and alcoholic drinks are popular, but expensive. Suriname Javanese, creole, Chinese and Hindustani cuisine plus favourite Dutch influences are popular. Beer and rum are popular alcoholic drinks