The Cornucopia That Is Chile

All over this long land, in both cities and towns, you can find ferias (open air markets) and caseras (roadside produce stands). These quaint and appealing marketplaces are abundant in a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and those that are near the coast also have a diversity of seafood and shellfish.

The feria in Quintero, almost 1/4 mile in length, has stall after stall of pretty much the same products over and over: nuts, olives, berries, fruits and vegetables, all selling at pretty much the same prices. The difference being which person you like best and how their products look in appearance. The huge central market in Santiago also is eye candy for shopping food and other products; plan on spending a few hours exploring. Many coastal towns have their own seafood/shellfish-only markets located where the boats come into port. Clams, crabs, fish, urchins and octopus. You can't get any fresher than that.

The best advantage of these markets is that they are often half the price of what you will pay in a local supermarket. Do not try to negotiate prices; save that for Mexico, it doesn't work in Chile. Seasonal fluctuation in certain products such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries does occur but you can find eggs, beans, avocados, corn, olives, onions and other vegetables year round due to the temperate climate. 

But what is staggering is the sheer volume of produce one can see in any given location. Tons of edible products which make you realize the scope of farming that is going on in the country. This abundance lends itself to the ease of becoming a vegetarian, with the added benefit of being able to live on a narrow budget. It's quick and easy to make a soup, stew or bean dish with fresh ingredients from these markets. $10 USD will allow you to bring home enough basics to make several meals. As they say in Italian, abbondanza.

For the carnivores, Chile produces local meats; beef, pork and lamb, but many of these are also imported from neighboring South American countries.

Numerous types and styles of fresh baked bread are sold in supermarkets, panaderias (bread shops) and some roadside stands (pan ahumado). These are made and sold daily and, as in Europe, a morning trip to buy bread is common.

In addition to the markets and products mentioned above, wine is very plentiful in this varied land. Pisco, the national starter drink, is grown in the hotter, drier north; white wines, predominately sauvignon blanc, sparkling wine and chardonnay, are prevalent in the north central part of the country, particularly in the Casablanca Valley, and the dominant red wines, one of Chile's major exports, are prolific in the central valley - cabs, syrah, merlot, malbec and carmenere. The wines of Chile's next door neighbor, Argentina, are also easily found and plentiful. A very good inexpensive wine could cost you less then $10. Don't expect to see wines from USA, Germany, Italy or France.

Last but not least are the cheeses that are produced locally. Forget your imported cheeses like gruyere, gouda ementhal, etc. They are too expensive if you can find them. Chile has four major kinds of cheese:  queso mantecoso or Chanco, a buttery Port Salut type cheese; queso fresco or quesillo, farmers’ cheese; queso de cabra, goat milk cheese; and “gauda” an industrial cheese that usually comes sliced. A pound of mantecoso, of which you will have a dozen choices, will cost you approx. $4/lb. Also found but scarce are artesanal cheeses such as Quesos Calafquen made locally. For more cheesy info:  http://eatingchile.blogspot.cl/2011/02/chilean-cheese.html
https://www.facebook.com/QuesosCalafquen/

So, its no surprise that many restaurants have a varied, creative menu encompassing all the abundance that Chile has to offer. No reason to go hungry here, no matter what your budget. When traveling to Chile, eat, drink and be merry, everyone else is doing just that.

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