In 1968 the eventual founders of Patagonia and North Face outfitters, Yvon Chouinard and Douglas Tompkins, and two other friends drive their VW bus on a whim to Patagonia. The follow the then mostly unpaved Pan-American highway from California to Chile on a trip that took 6 months. The journey would change both of their lives and begin their lifelong interest in Patagonia.
Never would I have thought I would see the day when NYC residents will be chowing down on Chile’s fattiest dish. Chilean sandwich shop we love Barros Luco has begun serving the typical dish of Valparaiso, the Chorrillana, a mound of french fries that is topped with steak strips, onions and a fried egg. It has no cholesteral as you would imagine. Barros Luco serves it for just $7.99! Heart attack not included.
While Chardonnay and to a lesser extent Torrentes and Sauvignon Blanc are almost always given the nod as South America’s favorite white wines, dry, refreshing Viognier is slowly carving out a name for itself. It pairs well with shellfish, seafood, sushi, and even curry and the wine is drunk best young.
Merken is made from the Cacho de Cabra chile (translates to Goat Horn). The chile itself is extremely hot, though merken – which is mixed with salt and spices such as cumin and coriander – tends to vary in strength. Generally it’s mild. It’s more smoky and flavorful than spicy hot. The indigenous Mapuche people in the Araucanía Region of Chile use the all in one spice mix heartedly in soups and as a rub for meat. Merken is available for purchase in the United States at Williams Sonoma and Whole Foods Market.
Cookbook Author, Tour Leader, and Foodie Liz Caskey is a resident of Santiago, Chile, which felt the effects of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred this past Saturday February 27th. At the time of writing, more than 700 people have been reported killed in the quake and aftershocks have continued to frighten residents. The epicenter of the quake happened off the coast of Maule, not far from the city of Concepción, which has seen the most damage. Media reports in the United States keep referring to the devastation in Southern Chile (in my opinion Southern Chile starts south of Temuco) and give the impression of a total collapse of infrastructure. Here Caskey answers a few questions about what is actually going on:
My article on Pisco – which was the culmination of several years of research with the spirit in Peru, Chile, and the United States – appeard today in the food section of the Los Angeles Times (U.S. sipping pisco again – latimes.com). A major U.S. newspaper has yet to print any lengthy article on pisco [...]
Whenever I’m in Chile one of the first things I do, considering I’m usually tired after a long flight is to go to a diner or café and order a sandwich and a beer. As I described in this earlier post, Chile does sandwiches right. There are dozens of them and most involve grilled steak and avocado. Apart from some of the sandwiches show up on restaurant menus near the Chilean border in Peru or Argentina, I’ve never encountered a Chilean sandwich shop. Anywhere.
LAN Airline’s inflight Magazine IN, has a great article about a village in Southern Chile founded by Italian immigrants one hundred years ago that has kept its heritage alive. I’ve never heard about this town, so I was instantly fascinated by it and thinking about when I can work in a visit. The 2,000 person [...]
The NYTimes explores the newly evolving dining scene in Valaparaiso, Chile. Writer Vanessa Gregory hits up Poblenou, Pasta e Vino,La Concepción, and a few others:
While the length of the Carretera Austral in Chile’s Northern Patagonia is nothing less than spectacular, the town of Caleta Tortel, the Patagonian Venice, captures the adventurous spirit and magic of the region better than any other place, yet is still relatively unknown and undiscovered. Sitting on the crème de menthe colored Rio Baker, the small lumber town clings to the hillsides and waterfront via hundreds of wooden walkways that span the entire length of the maze like town.
