138 CultureShock! Chile
to your taste be sure to request your preferred cuts or ask
what it is before you accept it on your plate.
Another characteristic beef dish is bistec a lo pobre, a steak
topped with two fried eggs and served with french fries and
sauteed onions. Although the name means poor man’s steak,
Chileans joke that the name should be changed to bistec a lo
rico (rich man’s steak) since it is expensive. Do not confuse
this typical meal with steak au poivre, which is a French
pepper steak dish that is not common in Chile. Carne mechada
is another popular dish. A thick piece of meat is tenderised
in a vinegar marinade and cooked with carrots.Special Dishes
Chileans have many main dishes where the principal
ingredient is not meat or fish. One of the tastiest is humitas,
made by grating fresh corn (choclo) and mixing it into a
paste with fried onions, basil, salt and pepper. The mixture
is then wrapped in cornhusks and dropped into boiling
water to cook. The corn to make humitas has big individual
kernels and is perfect for baking. Chilean corn is not sweet,