South America
Food of Chile
The 7 most iconic national dishes of Chile — real photos, key ingredients and tasty facts behind every plate.
Americas
Empanada de pino
Chile’s best-known empanada is a baked pastry filled with pino, a savory mixture of beef and onions, often with olive, egg, and raisins. It is rich, juicy, and especially tied to national celebrations.
Did you know?
The empanada de pino is especially associated with Fiestas Patrias, when it becomes one of the country’s most emblematic holiday foods.
Pastel de choclo
A classic Chilean corn pie made with a sweet ground-corn topping over a filling of meat, chicken, onions, egg, and olives. Its mix of savory and sweet flavors is instantly recognizable to locals.
Did you know?
The dish reflects the blending of Indigenous corn cookery with Spanish-style meat fillings in Chilean cuisine.
Completo
The completo is Chile’s loaded hot dog, usually piled high with ingredients like sauerkraut, chopped tomatoes, avocado, and mayonnaise. It is messy, abundant, and a staple of fast food culture in Chile.
Did you know?
One of the most famous versions is the italiano, named for its red, white, and green toppings that resemble the Italian flag.
Curanto
Curanto is a traditional feast from Chiloé made with shellfish, meats, potatoes, and dumplings, often cooked together in a pit lined with hot stones. It is smoky, hearty, and deeply tied to southern Chilean identity.
Did you know?
Its traditional preparation in an earth oven is considered one of the most distinctive communal cooking methods in Chile.
Cazuela
Cazuela is a home-style Chilean soup with large pieces of meat simmered with pumpkin, potato, corn, and rice or vegetables in a clear broth. It is comforting, simple, and one of the country’s everyday classics.
Did you know?
Although cazuela exists in several Latin American countries, the Chilean version is especially known for serving whole vegetable pieces in the bowl.
Ñachi
Ñachi is a Mapuche-associated southern Chilean dish made from fresh animal blood seasoned and allowed to lightly coagulate. It has a striking texture and a mineral, savory flavor that makes it one of Chile’s more unusual traditional foods.
Did you know?
It is particularly associated with the Mapuche and rural southern Chile, where it has long been prepared immediately after slaughter.
Piure
Piure is a vivid red, strongly flavored sea squirt eaten in Chile raw, in salads, or in seafood dishes. Its iodine-rich, briny taste is famously intense and highly distinctive.
Did you know?
Piure comes from Pyura chilensis, a tunicate so unusual in appearance that it is often described as looking more like a rock than seafood.