Chile — Bozo On A Bike

Cazuela, soup for the soul.

This is a typical dish of Chilean cuisine. One of my favorites. This basic and simple bowl is packed with flavor. It is light but yet filling and satisfying. Especially great on a cold day of riding.
CAZUELA is the common name given to a variety of dishes, especially from South America. It gets its name from the “cazuela” or spanish cooking pot in which it is cooked. This is a typical dish of Chilean cuisine.
Most types are made out of chicken or beef. It usually contains a piece of meat, a potato, a piece of pumpkin, and the stock obtained from boiling all of them together. People will mix in small noodles or rice, beans, and veggies. In the summer it is accompanied by a piece of sweet corn.
If in Chile this is a dish I recommend. I love it and I usually always have an appetite for it.

Humitas & Pastel de Choclo

Another few Chilean favorites of mine

Humitas are a Native South American dish from pre-Hispanic times, and a traditional food from the Andean region of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

In Chile they are prepared with fresh corn, onion, basil, and butter or lard. They are wrapped in corn husks and baked or boiled. I like to top them with a pinch of sugar and salt. They are so tasty and for me have the southern comfort food feel to them. Imagine eating a tamale but instead it is not filled or stuffed and the corn mixture is not nearly as dry or dense. It’s hard to explain but if you are in Chile try them. I have seen them for like a $1.50 on the streets, heated up and sitting warm in a cooler. Love them

Chorrillana

Hungry riders friend or hangover delight

This is the all day riding and hungry or been out all night drinking and need to eat dish. Iv had it both ways now. In my early days it was the latter, drinking all night and I would wrap it up with a Chorrillana and a sprite. Now its the first, been riding all day, snacking here and there, arrive and just want to stuff face. The one pictured above is the personal size. Otherwise it served usually as a 2-4 person dish to share. I personally love it and all the elements it combines.

It consists of a plate of French fries, salted and seasoned and then the fries are topped with a meat, usually a cheap cut of beef, and some veggies, usually onions and bell peppers, then topped with a fried egg or 6! Bam!

The are a few theories on how it came to be. The first, a casino owner in the 70s called for a plate to be taken as a snack for some young people getting drunk. The idea is that is is a cheap dish that could be shared by a few people. The second, the dish was born during the Pacific War when Chilean troops fought in the battle of Chorrillos and invented the the dish with what they had on hand.

Either way it is a must if in Chile, drinking or not. I could sit down a crush a 4 person one myself.