Pasta Traditions

• The pasta industry started to develop in 1898. Now there are 3 major pasta producers in Chile and the total annual production is about 126,000 tonnes.
• Chilean cuisine is a blend of traditional indigenous, Spanish and other European food customs. Pasta dishes tend to follow the European traditions.
• Lunch is the main meal of the day in Chile. A typical dish includes meat (beef, lamb, pork or chicken) or fish with rice or pasta and vegetables. The Chilean average annual per capita consumption reaches 8.4 kilograms.

Food Facts

• Chilean cuisine has lots of seafood and vegetables, as well as corn and potatoes.
• Traditional dishes include cazuela, a clear broth with rice, potato, corn on the cob, plus a piece of beef or chicken; pastel de choclo, a mixture of chicken, beef, olives, and vegetables in a corn casserole; epanadas, fried flour tortillas filled with cheese, meat, or seafoods.
• Seafood dishes include paila marina, a light stew loaded with fresh seafood and fish; mariscal, a similar dish but served raw and chilled; and ceviche, fish or shellfish marinated overnight in lemon juice, served chilled.
• Traditional breads include pan amasado, a thick bread that is baked in wood fired oven.

Fun Facts

• Chile is one of only two countries in South America that does not border Brasil.
• Chile has one of the longest recorded dry spells in the world. In a desert in Chile, it did not rain for 40 years.

• The number one world exporter for salmon is Chile.