Latin American Cuisine
⚡ ALL INFORMATION CLICK HERE 👈🏻👈🏻👈🏻
Latin American Cuisine
Home >
Blog >
Student life >
Top Dishes in Latin American Cuisine
Top Dishes in Latin American Cuisine main image
Get assisted by higher education experts
By
Sabrina
Collier
Oct 03, 2022
0M
61
By
Mathilde
Frot
Oct 03, 2022
1,977
4
By
Sabrina
Collier
Oct 03, 2022
1,225
9
By
Staff
Writer
Sep 27, 2022
0M
22
By
Stephanie L
Apr 07, 2022
0M
341
By
Chloe Lane
May 27, 2022
0M
320
By
Hasna
Haidar
Jul 15, 2022
0M
141
By
Stephanie L
Apr 26, 2022
0M
91
By
Sabrina
Collier
Oct 03, 2022
0M
61
By
Chloe Lane
May 27, 2022
0M
320
By
Stephanie L
Apr 07, 2022
0M
341
By
Hasna
Haidar
Jul 15, 2022
0M
141
By
Sabrina
Collier
Oct 03, 2022
0M
61
By
Stephanie L
Apr 26, 2022
0M
91
0 / 3 Universities have been added to compare
Compare
0 / 3 Programs have been added to compare
Compare
About
Contact
Privacy
Users
Cookies
DATA COPYRIGHT
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited 1994 - 2022. All rights reserved.
Join us to start your higher-ed journey
Existing LinkedIn user? Please reset password to sign-in.
Password
Use at least 6 characters and one numeral
Following the launch of the QS Latin America University Rankings , we’re celebrating all things great about the region – including its food.
As mentioned in our previous look at beautiful places in Latin America , the region is home to a wide variety of culinary delights, each using a distinctive combination of spices and fresh ingredients. Every Latin American country has its own unique dishes and specialties to sample, as well as its own popular regional condiments, such as guacamole, pico de gallo , and pebre .
Join us as we take a salivating tour of Latin American cuisine, starting with dishes that transcend national borders and are found across the region, and then taking a closer look at some regional specialties.
Churrasco is a Portuguese and Spanish term referring to beef or grilled meat and is a prominent feature in Latin American cuisine, popular in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Uruguay. A restaurant serving grilled meat is known as a churrascaria (steakhouse). Often restaurants serve all-you-can-eat churrasco buffets, with waiters slicing meat onto patrons’ plates – this is called espeto corrido or rodizio and is particularly popular in Brazil.
A popular snack in Latin American cuisine, an empanada ( pastel in Brazilian Portuguese and salteña in Bolivia) is a baked or fried bread or pastry which is stuffed with meat, cheese, huitlacoche (“corn smut”, a delicacy in Mexico), vegetables or fruits, among other fillings. Both savory and sweet versions are available.
Found across Latin American cuisine, and known as a huminta in Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile, a tamal (or tamale in English) is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made using masa (starchy, corn-based dough) and filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables or chilies, then steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper.
A chipá is a small, baked cheese-flavored roll, which is a popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil (called pão de queijo ), Colombia (called pandebono ) and Ecuador (called pan de yucca in the Coast Region). It is also consumed in Paraguay and Argentina (called chipa'í or chipacitos ) and Bolivia (called cuñapé ). A common variant in Paraguay is the chipá guazú , with the country’s Coronel Bogado city considered the National Capital of the Chipá.
The traditional and national Brazilian dish feijoada is a stew of black beans cooked with meat (usually pork and/or beef) and served with rice, vegetables, assorted sausages such as chouriço , morcela (blood sausage) and farinheira , and a variety of side dishes including farofai (toasted manioc flour).
What to drink: Caipirinha , Brazil’s national cocktail, is made with cachaça (brandy made with sugar cane), ice, sugar and lime. Also popular in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo is batida, made with cachaça, fruit juice or coconut milk and sugar.
Best place to eat: Although traditionally eaten on Saturdays, Casa da Feijoada near the Ipanema metro station in Rio de Janeiro serves feijoada every day.
Where to study in Brazil? Brazil boasts more entries in the QS Latin America University Rankings than any other country, with 95 Brazilian institutions making the top 400, including three in the top 10, and its Universidade de São Paulo is ranked second overall.
What is Mole? is a generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, but mole poblano is probably the best known of all varieties, and is often considered Mexico’s national dish. Containing around 20 ingredients, of which the most notable are chili and chocolate, this dark sauce is usually served over turkey and often at special occasions.
What to drink: Tequila, made with blue agave (type of cactus) and trademarked to manufacturers in Mexico. Mexico also makes a large variety of beers. A traditional non-alcoholic beverage is atole , a masa-based hot corn drink with piloncillo , cinnamon and vanilla.
Best place to eat: La Casita Poblana and El Mural de los Poblanos, both in Calle 16 de Septiembre in Puebla.
Where to study in Mexico? A total of 64 Mexican institutions feature in the QS Latin America University Rankings, of which two make the top 10. The highest of these, in fourth place, is Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) , which is based in the capital, Mexico City, one of the world’s top 100 cities for students in the QS Best Student Cities index.
Popular in the Antioquia department of Colombia and the Paisa region, bandeja paisa is a platter-style meal served in a large, oval-shaped tray and consisting of a generous variety of different foods. Traditional items include red beans cooked with pork, white rice, carne molida (ground meat), chicharrón , fried egg, plantain, chorizo, arepa (flatbread), hogao sauce, morcilla (black pudding), avocado and lemon.
What to drink: Colombia’s national alcoholic beverage is the anise-flavored Aguardiente (guaro) , which is drunk as a shot, but the country is also well-known for its wines, coffee, ice creams and sodas.
Best place to eat: Bandeja paisa is common across Colombia and native to the Andino region, with gourmet (smaller and lighter) courses available in good restaurants in Bogotá or Medellín.
Where to study in Colombia? The Universidad de Los Andes Colombia is currently in fifth place in the QS Latin America University Rankings, while 60 more Colombian universities are ranked within the region’s top 400.
What is Asado? is a term used for particular barbecue techniques, and also for the social event surrounding the barbecue. Considered Argentina’s national dish but also traditional to Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, the main ingredient in asado is flank-cut beef ribs flavored with chimichurri and cooked on a grill called a parilla , or on an open fire. Asado also includes embutidos (cured sausages), different meats including poultry and sweetbreads, bread, mixed salad and verdurajo (grilled vegetables).
What to drink: Explore Argentina’s wide selection of wines, the most popular being Mendoza. Or, go the traditional route with yerba mate, a caffeine-rich herbal drink containing stimulating vitamins and minerals.
Best place to eat: There are countless parillas in Argentina, with two famous ones being La Cabrera and El Desnivel, both in Buenos Aires.
Where to study in Argentina? Argentina’s capital city Buenos Aires is placed 25 th in the most recent QS Best Student Cities index. The country has 43 institutions in the new QS Latin America University Rankings, led by Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) in eighth place.
The traditional food of Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of Chile, curanto is traditionally prepared in a hole dug in the ground and covered with stones which are heated until red. Typical ingredients include shellfish, meat, milcao and chapaleles (potato pancake and potato dumpling respectively), and other vegetables. Curanto preparation is specific: ingredients are covered with nalca (Chilean rhubarb) leaves, then covered with wet sacks, dirt and grass chunks, creating a pressure cooker effect.
What to drink: A wide range of wines are available, while Chilean pisco (brandy made from Muscat grapes) is used in many cocktails. Mote con Huesillo is a summertime drink made with wheat seeds ( mote ) and dried peaches ( huesillos ).
Best place to eat: While you can arrange a curanto yourself, for a truly authentic experience visit Chiloé. Particularly recommended is Kuranton, a restaurant in Chiloé’s capital city Ancud which offers this indigenous meal for tourists.
Where to study in Chile? Taking the top spot in this year’s QS Latin America University Rankings is Chile’s Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) . The country has 39 more institutions in the region’s top 400, while capital city Santiago is ranked joint 63 rd in the QS Best Student Cities index.
What is Ceviche? , or cebiche , is a dish of fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices (key lime or naranja agria – bitter orange) and spiced with ají (chili peppers). Onion, salt and pepper are also added to the marinade, which is often served in a small glass as an appetizer ( leche de tigre or leche de panteraI ) along with chunks of corn-on-the-cob and cooked sweet potato.
Also popular in Ecuador and Chile, ceviche is part of Peru’s national heritage – June 28 th is Día Nacional del Cebiche (National Ceviche Day). Note that locals tend to avoid ceviche late in the day as all ceviche is made fresh from that morning’s catch.
What to drink: Peruvian pisco sour with key lime (or lemon) juice, syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. Peru is the world’s largest producer of organic coffee, while mate de coca (Coca Tea) is legal to drink.
Best place to eat: There is at least one cevichería in every neighborhood in capital city Lima, while most criollo restaurants include ceviche on their menus. Popular restaurants in Lima include La Mar, Chez Wong, El Mercado and Pescados Capitales.
Where to study in Peru? Peru has a respectable 20 institutions in the top 400 of this year’s QS Latin America University Rankings, with its highest ranked being Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú , which sits comfortably in 21 st place.
Encebollado means “cooked with onions” and is an Ecuadorian fish stew, which is commonly regarded as a national dish. Served with boiled cassava or yucca and picked red onion rings, encebollado also includes fresh tomato and spices such as pepper and coriander leaves. It is usually served with ripe avocado, plantain, popcorn, toasted corn nuts and/or bread.
What to drink: There are many options for exotic fruit juices including naranjilla (a jungle fruit) and taxo (banana passionfruit). A batida is fruit juice made with milk. The strong aguardiente (fire water) made with fermented sugarcane is arguably Ecuador’s national alcoholic drink.
Best place to eat: Port town Guayaquil in Ecuador’s coastal region has many restaurants (such as La Canoa) that offer traditional seafood dishes.
Where to study in Ecuador? Of Ecuador’s 18 entries in the QS Latin America University Rankings, it has three in the top 100, with its highest-ranked being Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) at 60 th .
Traditionally consumed for lunch and considered by many to be the Venezuelan national dish, pabellón criollo consists of rice with stewed black beans and shredded beef. Often served with tajadas (fried plantain slices) and/or a fried egg, some also add granulated sugar or queso palmita over the beans, or hot sauce over the meat. The beef can be replaced by chigüire (capybara), shredded caiman meat or freshwater fish depending on the region and season.
What to drink: Whisky is popular among Venezuelans, while Venezuelan-made rum is dark and of good quality. A popular drink is chicha andina , which is made from fermented pineapple juice and rice or corn flour. To sample the best Venezuelan coffee, ask for de la maquina (machine-made) café con leche, marrona or negrito .
Best place to eat: La Cocina de Francy in La Candelaria – an area filled with Spanish restaurants in Caracas.
Where to study in Venezuela? Although Venezuela has only nine institutions in the QS Latin America University Rankings, they are all well-placed, with four in the top 100 and the highest-ranked being Universidad Central de Venezuela in joint 40 th place.
Literally translated as “old clothes”, ropa vieja ’s shredded beef is indeed reminiscent of shredded rags of clothing. Ropa vieja is often accompanied by fried plantain, black beans and rice. An important flavoring is the Cuban staple sofrito , made with sautéed onions, green peppers and garlic cooked with tomatoes. Extra additions to the sauce can include sausages or smoked meat, or wine, dry sherry or beer.
What to drink: Cuban light rums, mixed in national cocktails cuba libre (rum and cola) and mojito (rum, lime, sugar, salt, mint leaves, club soda and ice).
Best place to eat: The best Cuban food is often found at the paladares , unofficial restaurants run in private homes and not endorsed by the government. One option is La Cocina De Lilliam in Playa, Havana.
Where to study in Cuba? Cuba’s Universidad de la Habana leads its six institutions in the QS Latin America University Rankings .
Image sources: laylita.com (encebollado).
This article was originally published in June 2014. It was last updated in May 2022.
Want more content like this? Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.
This article was originally published in October 2017
.
It was last updated in October 2022
Want more content like this Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.
Our expert teams can help start your academic journey by guiding you through the application process.
We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Cookies Policy
Hidden Valley Releases Ranch-Inspired Home Decor
26 Life-Changing Ways To Stuff Bell Peppers
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Felicia LaLomia
Food & Culture Editor
Felicia LaLomia is the Food & Culture Editor for Delish.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Delish editors handpick every product we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page.
If you're a fellow food lover, whenever you conjure the idea of a country, you're likely thinking about its cuisine. Italy is synonymous with overflowing pasta bowls and steaming pizzas straight out of a brick oven. A flash of Seoul in a movie makes me crave bibimbap and kimchi. Some places may be so passionate about a certain dish, it's considered the country's national meal, albeit unofficially. But in other countries, it's much too hard to narrow down to one favorite, or the cuisine varies so much by region that picking one dish just wouldn't be fair.
No matter how you cook it up, tasting a country's most popular dish is a great way to get a grasp of what that place has to offer—what their land is like, what they prioritize, and how they live. What follows is a tour across Latin America through each country's preferred plates. If you can't book a flight to each, you might as well try their best flavors.
Asado is less a dish than a cooking technique: It refers to meat grilled over a fire. Like a barbecue in the U.S. (or anywhere!), asado is a great excuse to get people together to socialize and eat. Alongside the typical meats—chorizo, rib eye, flank steak, and more—there's typically served a bright chimichurri sauce.
A salteña is a type of baked empanada that's filled with meat. The beef, pork, or chicken is mixed with a slightly sweet and spicy sauce of olives, raisins, and potatoes. You can find them in just about any town in Bolivia, though the fillings can vary from spot to spot.
Black beans, pork, and beef come together in this national dish to make a hearty stew. A toasted flour mixture called farofa and white rice are typically served as an accompaniment to soak up the flavors. If it's made traditionally, many parts of the pig are cooked down, including the feet and ears!
You can find empanadas all over the world, especially in Latin America, but the Chilean versions are typically bigger and stuffed with savory meat and spices. The filling of beef, raisins, onions, olives, and hard-boiled eggs is another distinction.
On this packed plate popular in Colombia, you usually find red beans cooked with pork, white rice, chicharrón, fried egg, ground meat, plantains , chorizo, arepa, hogao (a sauce of tomato and green onions), black pudding, avocado, and lemon. It originates in the Andean region of the country where the people are called Paisas, hence the name of the dish!
This simple Costa Rican dish is packed with flavor. It is mostly comprised of rice and beans , but the humble combo is cooked with chicken stock, sweet peppers, onion, and garlic. The name means "spotted rooster" in Spanish, and you'll often find it seasoned with salsa lizano, a vegetable-based condiment with cumin and pepper used widely throughout Costa Rica.
The name of this Cuban dish translates to "old clothes," but you'll forget the unappetizing moniker once you take a bite. The phrase comes from what the place resembles when it's piled with long, lean shreds of meat—typically flank steak—that has been braised for hours with peppers, onions, and tomatoes.
How bright and delicious does this breakfast look? The Dominican dish is made from mashed plantains that have been boiled until soft. Dominican salami (a cured and slight smoky fried meat) and a fried egg add to the richness, while queso frito and pickled onions cut through it.
Boiled cassava is combined with fish, pickled onions, lime, and tomatoes to make this cozy yet refreshing Ecuadorian coastal stew. Its light creaminess is perfectly balanced by the acidity of the onions and lime.
This Salvadorean flatbread is stuffed with cheese or refried beans and served with a cabbage relish called curtido. The bread is made from a cornmeal flour called masa harina, and you'll have no trouble finding tons of street vendors selling these. For best results, eat them freshly fried and still warm, with tons of curtido. Try it at home with our recipe here .
Guatemala's favorite stew is typically made with chicken and can be identified through the roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, and pepitas that are blended with chicken broth to give that velvety look and texture.
Plato típico is another one of those dishes that reads like it was created from a buffet: On the plate, you'll get marinated or grilled meat, pork sausage, refried or stewed beans, fried plantains, and rice. Compliments might include a fresh farmer's cheese, avocado, sour cream, corn tortillas, and chismol, a simple salsa.
Sweet, earthy, and oh-so-aromatic, this Mexican dish has layers of flavor. It starts with chiles, which provide heat, sweetness, and smokiness. Then there's the toasted sesame seeds for a slight nuttiness. The rich color comes from cocoa, which can be added in powder form or via straight dark
Korean Dance Porno
Porno Gagging Tube
Black Hole Eria 602ul