The Last Pisco Sour

Our last stop in South America was Santiago, and we had done so much coming and going from this lovely city that it was starting to feel like home. The day we left Santiago for Sydney was a bank holiday, and our plans for stockpiling Pisco were thwarted by closed duty free shops at the airport. The bars were open thank goodness, and it seemed appropriate that our final drinks in South America should be Pisco Sours, in the
aptly named bar, 'The Last Pisco Sour.'

Chorrillana

Chilean food isn't great. Aside from the excellent sea food (which you'd expect with one of the largest coastlines in the world) Chilean food mainly consists of meat unimaginatively paired with some kind of carbohydrate, usually bread, corn or potato. Even the Chileans tacitly acknowledge that Peruvian cuisine is better by the plethora of Peruvian restaurants that line the streets of Santiago.

The mixture of meat and stodge does come into its own when it comes to drinking and hangover food. The king in this genre is undoubtedly the Valparaiso specialty of chorrillana. Chorrillana is essentially a plate of chips (or fries if we have any North American readers) with a huge pile of fried steak, chorizo sausage, onions and egg dumped on top. This is not finesse food. It is however bloody amazing.

It's usually shared between at least two,  and as far as I can see it is always accompanied by a beer (one area that Chile does have Peru beaten hands down). Our first chorrillana we ate fittingly in Valparaiso. Having not seen one before we weren't sure what to expect.  Should we have ordered two? When it arrived all fears of leaving hungry were put firmly to bed. We had another one in Santiago on our second to last night in South America.

The picture below doesn't make it look very appealing. It was taken in poor light on a compact, but even with the best light in the world it's still just going to look like a pile of grease. The taste however more than makes up for its looks.

Tom

Pisco Sours

The war over the ownership of Pisco Sours has been raging between Chile and Peru for many years, and both claim it as their national drink. There are distinct differences between the Peruvian and Chilean Pisco Sour, although I found they become difficult to distinguish after three or four.

Pisco is a clear grape brandy that is produced by both Peru and Chile. It comes in various strengths, but 35-40% proof is the standard in most bars. Some people drink it neat (think very light brandy) but I prefer it in cocktails.

In Peru, Pisco Sours are made by mixing Peruvian Pisco, sugar syrup, lime juice and egg white with ice cubes. This is then poured into an old fashioned glass and garnished with a few drops of Angostura bitters.

In Chile, they are made by mixing Chilean Pisco, lemon juice and sugar with ice cubes and then pouring this into (usually) a champagne flute.

There are obviously some variations, for instance in Chile, lime juice is sometimes used. The most consistent difference is the use of egg white, which makes for a smoother, more viscous cocktail.

Arguments aside, they were delicious wherever we drank them, and we will make it our mission to seek out a bottle of Pisco when we get home.

Ceviche

Ceviche is claimed to be the specialty of various countries, Mexico, Peru and Chile included, but we avoided getting into arguments and got on with eating it instead. We were already big fans and were looking forward to ordering it without it being the most expensive starter on the menu as it is in England. The way ceviche is served differs between Peru and Chile, but the basics are the same. Fish or shellfish is soaked in lime juice and chilli until it is 'cooked' although as there is no heating involved, pickled might be a better description. The surrounding fluid turns milky during the process, and is called leche du tigre (tiger's milk).

In Chile, we were given ceviche in large portions with the leche du tigre still surrounding it, and with a few segments of lime and chilli to add to taste. In Peru, it tended to be in small portions, carefully presented and with the leche du tigre removed. We often saw leche du tigre on its own as an option for a starter, and Peruvian ceviche usually came with large grains of corn and sweet potato alongside it. The difference in the appearance of the two versions was likely to be partly due to where we ordered it (Chile - fish market stalls, Peru - restaurants) as well as actual variations across the border. Wherever we ate it, it was fresh, zingy, delicious and surprisingly filling and if you like fish and shellfish then it's a must. 

Kate

Completo

Just a quick one today, the completo.

The completo is basically a hot dog topped with a any number of ingredients, and is extremely popular in Chile. A completo will set you back between 500 and 1000 pesos (about 70p to £1.50) and is ready without about a minute of ordering. Most come with at least sauerkraut, and many come with loads of other ingredients. A personal favourite is the 'italiano' apparently named as it ingredients, tomatoes, mashed avocado and mayonaise resemble the italian flag. I don't quite see it, but it certainly tasted good.

Needless to say, I was the main eater of completos in Chile, mainly using them as snack to keep me going until the next meal. The only picture I have of one isn't particularly good, but does show off our weird lit up table we had in two of our Santiago apartments!


Fittingly, the last thing I ate in South America before departing for Australia was a massive italiano completo!

Tom

Mote con Huesillo

The streets of Santiago are lined with mobile stalls selling the specialty drink, mote con huesillo. A plastic cup is partially filled with dried corn, and then peaches in syrup are ladled on top. The corn soaks up the peach syrup, and becomes soft and moist. You are given a spoon and a (much needed) napkin. If you don't like tinned peaches, this is not for you. It is tooth-achingly sweet, and the corn and huge chunks of peach make it more of a snack than a drink. I have only tried the smallest size (250ml) but you can buy a whole litre! This is only to be recommended if you have a large group to share it amongst, or an excellent dentist. That said, I love them, and they provide an excellent base for pisco sour consumption!