Food- Chilean cuisine is a variety of things. A lot of it depends on where you are at in the country, certain foods are only able to be produced in certain parts of the country. Seafood is a very big ingredient of the southern and center of the country. There are three distinct cuisines that can be distinguished, the cuisine of the North, the South, and the Central part. Local crops are a big part of the cuisines. Some of the most used are maize, quinoa, and potatoes. Olives are used throughout the country in many ingredients as well. As for the fruit the popular ones are lucuma and chirimoya are fruits that are used often in desserts. Grapes are used a lot for making wine, which is done commonly. Among all of the dishes of Chile, some of the most popular and typical dishes are empanadas which are pastries filled with different mixtures of food. There is three different types- seafood mix, cheese mix, and pino which is a mixture of ground beef, onions, raisins, black olives, and hard boiled eggs. The second dish is Pastel de choclo, this is a common comfort food that is made of ground corn, ground beef, onions, chicken, black olives, pieces of hard boiled eggs, some spices and covered in corn dough crusts. The third dish is Humitas which is made from fresh ground corn, sweet basil, lard, onions, and paprika. It is wrapped in corn husks and secured.
Holidays- Some of the most important religious holidays are Easter and Christmas. This includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. These are all official holidays in Chile. Christmas is started at the beginning of summer and a lot of people celebrate it outside. It starts out on the eve of Christmas day and they have dinner with families and exchange presents. Then most of the people usually go to a midnight mass called misa de gallo. Some other major religious holidays include Feast of Saint Peter and Paul- June 29th, Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen- July 16th, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary- August 15th, and All Saints Day- November 1st (celebrating the dead and martyrs). Independence day is another celebrated day although it isn't religious and its on September 18th.
Ways of Behavior- When men meet each other they usually shake hands where as the women pat each other on the right forearm or right shoulder. Words are exchanged that go along with the time of day it is such as "buenos dias" or "buenas tardes". When it comes to greeting friends and family the greetings are more enthusiastic, men will energetically embrace each other and women will kiss each other on the cheek. Chileans use both their maternal and paternal surnames. They always try to use a title if there is one, if there isn't then they simply use Senor or Senora. Chileans usually like a sense of formality in all that they do. This includes firm handshakes, appropriate clothing, direct eye contact, and they usually stand close to each other when they are conversing with one another. When dinning the women sit before the men do. Avoid talking and using/eating with utensils in your hands, always keep your hands visible and keep your wrists on the edge of the table. It is considered polite to finish everything that has been put onto your plate.
Holidays- Some of the most important religious holidays are Easter and Christmas. This includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. These are all official holidays in Chile. Christmas is started at the beginning of summer and a lot of people celebrate it outside. It starts out on the eve of Christmas day and they have dinner with families and exchange presents. Then most of the people usually go to a midnight mass called misa de gallo. Some other major religious holidays include Feast of Saint Peter and Paul- June 29th, Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen- July 16th, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary- August 15th, and All Saints Day- November 1st (celebrating the dead and martyrs). Independence day is another celebrated day although it isn't religious and its on September 18th.
Ways of Behavior- When men meet each other they usually shake hands where as the women pat each other on the right forearm or right shoulder. Words are exchanged that go along with the time of day it is such as "buenos dias" or "buenas tardes". When it comes to greeting friends and family the greetings are more enthusiastic, men will energetically embrace each other and women will kiss each other on the cheek. Chileans use both their maternal and paternal surnames. They always try to use a title if there is one, if there isn't then they simply use Senor or Senora. Chileans usually like a sense of formality in all that they do. This includes firm handshakes, appropriate clothing, direct eye contact, and they usually stand close to each other when they are conversing with one another. When dinning the women sit before the men do. Avoid talking and using/eating with utensils in your hands, always keep your hands visible and keep your wrists on the edge of the table. It is considered polite to finish everything that has been put onto your plate.