South America Recipes
Andes, Amazon, and Atlantic all on one plate. Below are 99 authentic South America recipes, each tied to a real country and region, with the cultural story, ingredients, and step-by-step method, adaptable to seven dietary needs.
99 recipes · showing 1 to 48
Lomo SaltadoLima, Peru · easy · 35 minBeef flash-fried in a smoking wok with soy, vinegar, tomatoes, and fries, Lima's Chinese-Peruvian icon.
Lomo Saltado Moqueca Baiana (Bahian Fish Stew)Bahia, Brazil · easy · 45 minFish simmered in coconut milk, dendê palm oil, peppers, and lime in a clay pot, the taste of the Bahian coast.
Moqueca Baiana (Bahian Fish Stew) Arepas con Quesito & HogaoAntioquia, Colombia · easy · 45 minGriddled corn cakes split and filled with fresh cheese, spooned over with a warm tomato-scallion sauce.
Arepas con Quesito & Hogao Empanadas MendocinasMendoza, Argentina · medium · 1 h 10 minBaked empanadas the Mendoza way: a juicy beef and olive filling heavy on onion, sealed with a braided edge.
Empanadas Mendocinas LocroMendoza, Argentina · medium · 3 h 30 minThe thick national stew of white hominy, beans, and squash slow simmered with beef, pork, and chorizo, finished with a spicy paprika oil.
ChoripánMendoza, Argentina · easy · 1 h 5 minA grilled fresh chorizo split and tucked into crusty bread with a generous spoon of garlicky chimichurri, the opening act of every asado.
Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Puffs)Minas Gerais, Brazil · easy · 40 minChewy-crisp little cheese breads made from tapioca starch, naturally gluten-free and dangerously poppable.
Porotos GranadosCentral Valley, Chile · easy · 1 hSummer stew of fresh beans, corn, squash, and basil, Chile’s pre-Columbian trinity in one pot.
Porotos Granados LlapingachosPichincha (Andes), Ecuador · medium · 1 hGolden potato patties with melting cheese centers, griddled and served with peanut sauce and pickled onions.
Llapingachos Cachapas con QuesoCaracas, Venezuela · easy · 35 minSweet fresh-corn pancakes griddled golden and folded over melting salty cheese, roadside Venezuela at its best.
Cachapas con Queso Chivito al PlatoMontevideo, Uruguay · easy · 40 minUruguay’s glorious everything-plate: thin steak under ham, cheese, olives, and a fried egg with ensalada rusa.
Chivito al Plato Rocoto RellenoArequipa, Peru · medium · 1 h 15 minArequipa’s fiery rocoto peppers stuffed with spiced beef, olives, and raisins, capped with melting cheese.
Ajiaco SantafereñoBogotá, Colombia · easy · 1 h 20 minBogotá’s three-potato chicken soup thickened by the potatoes themselves, perfumed with guascas, finished with cream and capers.
FeijoadaRio de Janeiro, Brazil · medium · 3 hBrazil’s black-bean and smoked-meat feast, simmered for hours and served with rice, greens, orange, and farofa.
Guyanese PepperpotDemerara (Georgetown), Guyana · medium · 2 h 50 minMeat slow-simmered in cassareep, cinnamon, and hot pepper until glossy black, the Amerindian-rooted Christmas classic.
Guyanese Pepperpot BrigadeiroMinas Gerais, Brazil · easy · 25 minFudgy chocolate truffles of condensed milk cooked with cocoa and butter, rolled in sprinkles. No Brazilian party exists without them.
CevicheLima, Peru · easy · 50 minFresh white fish cured in lime "leche de tigre" with red onion, chili, and cilantro, Peru's national dish.
Bandeja PaisaAntioquia, Colombia · medium · 1 h 30 minA groaning platter of red beans, rice, chicharrón, beef, chorizo, fried egg, plantain, and arepa.
PomParamaribo, Suriname · medium · 2 h 10 minA festive baked casserole of grated pomtajer root and citrus-marinated chicken, crisp on top and tangy within.
Pom SilpanchoLa Paz, Bolivia · medium · 55 minA Cochabamba plate of rice, potato, a thin breaded beef cutlet, and a fried egg over chopped salad.
Silpancho Pan con ChicharrónLima, Peru · medium · 2 hCrisp fried pork and sweet camote layered in a soft roll with tangy salsa criolla, the definitive Lima weekend breakfast sandwich.
Cuscuz NordestinoBahia, Brazil · easy · 30 minA fluffy steamed cornmeal cake from Brazil's northeast, moistened and finished with butter or coconut, naturally gluten-free morning fuel.
Tortas FritasMendoza, Argentina · easy · 35 minSimple fried dough discs, crisp-edged and dusted with sugar, that Argentines make on rainy mornings to eat with mate.
SopaipillasCentral Valley, Chile · medium · 40 minGolden pumpkin-dough fritters, soft and faintly sweet, fried up on cold Chilean mornings and eaten with pebre or chancaca syrup.
Bolón de VerdePichincha (Andes), Ecuador · medium · 35 minA ball of mashed green plantain stuffed with cheese, pan-crisped golden, the filling coastal breakfast of Ecuador.
Arepas con PericoCaracas, Venezuela · easy · 35 minGriddled corn arepas split and filled with perico, soft scrambled eggs cooked down with tomato, onion, and pepper.
Api con PastelLa Paz, Bolivia · medium · 45 minA hot, spiced purple-corn drink thick with cinnamon and clove, served with a crisp fried cheese pastry dusted in sugar.
MbejúAsunción, Paraguay · easy · 25 minA chewy, crisp-edged starch-and-cheese griddle cake, gluten-free and pan-cooked to order, eaten with cocido at daybreak.
Mbejú Torta FritaMontevideo, Uruguay · easy · 35 minGolden discs of fried dough with a slit in the middle, crisp-edged and pillowy, the treat Uruguayans make whenever it rains, dusted with sugar and dunked in mate.
Sada Roti with Tomato ChokaDemerara (Georgetown), Guyana · medium · 40 minSoft griddled flatbread torn and dipped into smoky fire-roasted tomato choka sharpened with garlic and onion, a vegan Guyanese classic.
BaraParamaribo, Suriname · medium · 1 h 50 minLittle savory fried rings of ground urdi and flour, green with chopped tajer leaf and heavy with masala, eaten hot with chutney or sambal.
Ají de GallinaLima, Peru · medium · 1 hShredded chicken in a creamy, gently spicy sauce of aji amarillo, bread, and walnuts, a Lima lunchtime classic.
Suspiro a la LimeñaLima, Peru · medium · 50 minA layer of thick caramel dulce de leche under a cloud of port-scented meringue, Lima's most romantic dessert.
Feijão TropeiroMinas Gerais, Brazil · easy · 40 minBeans tossed with toasted cassava flour, bacon, sausage, egg, and collard greens, the filling lunch of Minas Gerais.
SancochoAntioquia, Colombia · easy · 1 h 20 minA big-boned chicken broth with plantain, cassava, corn, and potato, Colombia's restorative weekend lunch.
Natilla ColombianaAntioquia, Colombia · easy · 35 minA firm, sliceable cinnamon custard set with cornstarch and sweetened with raw-cane panela, Colombia's Christmas sweet.
Milanesa NapolitanaMendoza, Argentina · medium · 40 minA crisp breaded beef cutlet topped with ham, tomato, and melted cheese, the everyday lunch Argentina made its own.
Alfajores de MaicenaMendoza, Argentina · medium · 42 minTwo tender cornstarch shortbreads sandwiching dulce de leche, edges rolled in coconut, Argentina's national cookie.
CompletoCentral Valley, Chile · easy · 25 minA hot dog buried under diced tomato, mashed avocado, sauerkraut, and mayonnaise, Chile's overloaded snack-lunch.
Leche AsadaCentral Valley, Chile · easy · 55 minA rustic baked milk custard with a scorched, caramelised top, Chile's homelier cousin of crème caramel.
EncebolladoPichincha (Andes), Ecuador · easy · 50 minA brothy tuna-and-cassava soup topped with a tangle of pickled red onion, Ecuador's midday cure-all.
Higos con QuesoPichincha (Andes), Ecuador · easy · 1 h 45 minWhole figs slow-cooked in dark panela syrup and served with a slice of fresh cheese, an Ecuadorian classic.
Pabellón CriolloCaracas, Venezuela · medium · 1 h 55 minShredded beef, black beans, white rice, and fried sweet plantain on one plate, Venezuela's national dish.
QuesilloCaracas, Venezuela · easy · 6 h 25 minA dense caramel-topped custard set with whole eggs and condensed milk, the Venezuelan flan of every celebration.
Vori VoriAsunción, Paraguay · medium · 1 h 10 minA golden chicken broth thick with little cornmeal-and-cheese dumplings, Paraguay's warming everyday soup.
Dulce de MamónAsunción, Paraguay · easy · 5 h 30 minGreen papaya slow-cooked in clove-and-cinnamon syrup until translucent and jammy, a Paraguayan pantry sweet.
Tarta PascualinaMontevideo, Uruguay · medium · 1 h 15 minA flaky double-crust pie of chard and ricotta with whole eggs baked inside, an everyday River Plate lunch.
ChajáMontevideo, Uruguay · medium · 1 h 5 minAiry sponge layered with whipped cream, peaches, and crushed meringue, Uruguay's cloud-light celebration cake.
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