Chilean Cuisine

Chilean cuisine stems mainly from the combination of traditional Spanish cooking, Chilean Mapuche culture and local ingredients, with later significant influence from other European cuisines, particularly Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The country's diverse climate and long Pacific coastline define its culinary identity, and waters enriched by the Humboldt Current supply abundant fish, molluscs, crustaceans and edible algae, while Chile is also one of the world's largest wine producers, with local wine enhancing many traditional recipes. Spanish conquistadors introduced wheat, pork, sheep, cattle, chicken and wine beginning in 1540, while Indigenous peoples contributed potato, maize, bean and seafood, and later European immigration, especially German settlement in the south, brought distinctive pork dishes, sausages and pastries that remain central to Chilean cooking today. Manjar, known internationally as dulce de leche, was invented in Chile and stands as one of the country's most notable contributions to world cuisine, and regional variation across the country's north, center and south reflects local agricultural tradition and cultural influence.