The food and drink of Chilean independence celebrations
If there’s one thing I have learned about Chileans during my time in Chile, it’s that they know how to party. The celebrations in honor of Chilean independence from Spain last a whole week, starting Sunday Sept.15 and lasting until Sept. 22. During this time, kids are out of school, adults don’t go to work and everyone attends the fondas—the huge festivals where people gather to eat, drink and party.
The fondas are the perfect opportunity to partake in some traditional Chilean cuisine and activities. Being a self proclaimed foodie, I of course tried dozens of different dishes throughout the week. Below are my two recommendations; enjoy!
Chorillanas vegetarianas: 8.7/10
As a vegetarian, I’ve been pretty lucky with the variety of food options here in Chile. This dish is easily one of my favorites. The plate starts with an unbelievable amount of papas fritas (french fries), on which you stack a ton of sautéed onions and veggies cooked with merkén, a spicy seasoning found in many Chilean dishes. It’s all topped off with a runny egg.
It sounds simple, but it’s crazy good.
Terremoto: 11/10
In English, terremoto means earthquake, and rightfully so. They warned me to never drink more than two, because after two, your head is spinning so much you feel like you’re in an earthquake. I can attest—this is true. The libation is made of fermented sweet wine, pineapple ice cream, grenadine syrup and sometimes some pisco (a type of brandy).
I know this might sound unappetizing, but I promise it tastes only like sweet ice cream—which is why it can be very dangerous.
Of course there’s also empanadas, completos, pisco sour and a ton of other traditional Chilean food and drink. I can attest that everything here is delicious, and I can’t wait to see what Nepal has to offer next week!
