Food of Bolivia

Lunch is the main meal of the in Bolivia. It usually includes soup and a main dish. The potato is the main staple, served at most meals, sometimes with rice or noodles. Bolivian food is not often spicy, but a sauce "la llajwa" is usually available which is made with tomato and locoto (hot chilies).

Some popular food dishes are:

• Humitas - Fresh corn with cheese wrapped in corn leaves and steamed. There are some great recipes for Humitas in The South American Table. (See Cookbooks, below.)
• Salteñas - Only eaten in the morning. A warm savory pastry that holds a juicy combination of chicken or meat, greens and sauce, and is cooked in an oven.
• Empanadas - A savory pastry containing cheese or cheese with onion, olives and locoto.
• Sandwich de Chola - Sandwich with roasted pork leg, lettuce and locoto.
• Changa de pollo o de conejo - Soup make with chicken or cuy (guinea pig), potato, peas, avas and green onion.
• Chicharron - Pieces of fried pork, cooked with chicha (see drinks below) and served with stewed corn.
• Charque de llama - Dried llama meat, fried, served with stewed corn, hard cooked eggs and cheese.
• Lechon - Roast suckling pig.

Some common Bolivian drinks:

• Chicha - Fermented corn (usually homemade) - the sacred drink of the Incas.
• Chicha de mani - Soft drink with peanut.
• Tojori - Hot thick drink made from white mashed corn.
• Beers - Taquiña, Paceña, Huari
• Wines – There are excellent wines from the Tarjina region on the frontier with Argentina.

Cookbooks

Want to learn more about Bolivian food and cooking? Check out:

Remember, all of our Spanish programs in Bolivia include cooking classes, so if you really want to learn about cooking in Bolivia, check out one of our programs!