I will never forget the first time I ordered “Chilean Salad” back as an exchange student. Expecting a heaping bowl of greens, to my dismay, what arrived was a simple plate of peeled tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. The waiter, sensing my confusion, quickly explained...
What I have most missed since I moved to Chile, now almost nine years ago, are those homey meals; the comfort food I used to eat at my Mom's house, with my grandmother, in diners, and my favorite ethnic dives. When I pine for those flavors, what I am really...
Published in LAN Airlines "IN" Magazine, August 2009. Text: Liz Caskey Photos: Francisco Ramírez Life is perfect. I am on the top deck of the ship, lying in a warm, bubbly thalassotherapy bath with a glass of dry, sparkling wine, scented with a fresh...
I will never forget my first oyster. Who does? There it was, sitting on the plate, staring intently at me. Bright, fleshy, and gleaming. It smelled of the sea. The idea it was still alive and soon to find its future at the bottom of my stomach was not exactly...
Cazuela is the ultimate Chilean comfort food. The dish has its origins in the indigenous Mapuche soup known as “corri,” originally made with potatoes, pumpkin, corn or cornmeal, green beans, red peppers, quinoa, chili, wild herbs, and animals ranging from wild...
Perhaps Chile’s most undiscovered fruit abroad, if you quiz any Chilean on their favorite dessert combination it most likely will consist of a) manjar b) lucuma and c) meringue. It is a match made in heaven. Lucuma is an orange-yellow baseball-shaped fruit that is...
Translated from my monthly column in Chilean publication, Placeres Magazine, Placeres Compartido A common question I get from Readers and clients traveling in Chile is, “What Chilean wine do you recommend?” It’s a tricky one. It would be too easy to simply...
Since No Reservations aired on Monday night, where Tony sips potent pisco sours in Bar La Playa in Valparaíso, I have seen a plethora of debates ensue about the origin of pisco and whether or not the pisco sour is rightfully Chilean. Today’s post is going to...
Buenos Aires, called affectionately “BA” by the locals, is foodie heaven. Dozens upon dozens of joints, cafés, bars, bistros, boliches, restaurants, dinner clubs, and snack bars. It is stimulating—and overwhelming. Fortunately, I am blessed to live very close...
Tonight, July 13, at 10pm, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations Chile episode kicks off the second half of Season Five. I will confess, this episode really kicks butt. Of course, not only because it's Chile--I suppose I had the ultimate preview since I was...
Last night, I had a weird dream that I woke up with a strange medical condition. Something doctors had never seen. I had permanently lost my appetite. It was like the Matrix, the same day kept repeating again and again, and still no appetite. I felt physical...
As my husband and I have gotten into wine over the years, the number of “collectable” bottles we have acquired as gifts, in our travels, and off our wish list has increased to the point that one night, a couple months ago, we were in a quandry that didn’t have...
Continuing our odyssey into the world of avocados, below is a selection of the most common varieties found in Chile. Researching a little more, I discovered that you can find many of these varieties in the States now, particularly in California, and even...
Having grown up on the East Coast, when I arrived in Chile, my idea of an avocado was a precious treasure racking up US$2-3 per UNIT, usually bought as hard as a rock and left to ripen in a brown paper bag before being turned into, well, guacamole. What else...
Winter time in Santiago means citrus season. We are being bombarded by clementines, navel oranges, grapefruit, and kazillions of kilos of fragrant lemons. Even my friends with lemon trees in their backyards are tiring of lemony pisco sours, the national drink. There’s...
This morning I awoke to cold, gray skies that seem to thicken by the minute with moisture. The weekend forecast? Rain. Brrr. In these chilly days of winter, my former American self would normally pine for matzah ball soup, chicken pot pie, and hot chocolate to...
A peculiar tradition inherited from the British, who settled in Chile in the 1800s, tea time in Chile is deeply rooted in Chilean food culture and is affectionately called Onces. Although the origin of the word is disputed, it seems to have its roots in the...
In Chile, they were almost lost in time—almost. Along with majoram and salisfy, these humble tubers were cultivated for centuries in Chilean gardens, prized for its beautiful flower. According to antique Chilean recipes from the early 20th century, when the...
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