The Food Saga: The Fish Era

25 March 2009By Zhu 14 Comments

Welcome to my “Central and South America Food Saga“!

In Bolivia and in Chile, even though meat was still available, we ate a lot of fish. Good: a break from the arroz con pollo!

Food in Bolivia is quite basic, and there aren’t many supermarkets (if at all). Sanitation isn’t the country’s strong point either, and even though there were many food stalls in La Paz, I skipped on those. However, Copacabana, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, had some of the best fish I have ever had. The popular trucha (trout) can be served al limón (with lemon), entomatada (with tomatoes), al ajillo (with garlic), a la mantequilla (with butter) etc. Typical side dishes include rice or potatoes, with a small salad — not bad!

We stuck to our fish diet in Chile, which has some great seafood thanks to its extensive coastline. Some popular dishes are made with squid, soleidae (sole), albacore, codfish, hake, corvina (salmon), congridae (conger)… Fish can be frito (deep fried in batter), a la plancha (grilled) or al horno (baked).

A great place to eat in Santiago is the Mercado Central, which emphasizes on pescado (fish) and mariscos (shellfish). There are many restaurants and eateries within the market building and the food is cheap, fresh and tasty. Don’t miss the paila marina, a big seafood stew!

Fish Market, Bolivia

Fish Lunch In Santiago, Chile

Fisherman In Arica, Chile

Fish Restaurants On The Shore Of The Titicaca Lake, Bolivia

Trucha (Trout) In Copacabana, Bolivia

Fish Lunch In Santiago, Chile

Fish Market, Santiago, Chile

14 Comments »

Sandra said:

I don´t feel offended at all, I know what you are talking about, I lived in La Paz one year.
Nice Blog¡¡

# 21 September 2009 at 11:40 am

Zhu (author) said:

You are absolutely right!

We did experience some frustration in La Paz, hence the post, but I didn’t mean any offense. Bolivia is still a beautiful country and I hate to generalize.

I’d love to visit the Bolivian Amazonia!

# 20 September 2009 at 12:01 am

Sandra said:

Sorry you just visited one city in Bolivia
The Altiplano of Bolivia is just the 30% of the country, the rest is Amazonia, you can discover a bright, hot, green and happy Bolivia in the East.
And you can find a supermarket or two in every arrondisement you go =) in Santa Cruz, the capital of the bolivian Amazonia. Better luck next time, and visit us, we will be waitin for you, you won´t regret

# 19 September 2009 at 11:49 pm