The Food of Latin America

1
The Food of Latin America

• Forget about refried beans...
• Some of the finest cuisines in the world
• Many nations host an infinite variety of fresh
  ingredients all year
• Difficult to reproduce in the U.S.
• This presentation features some of my favorite
  dishes that are not well known in most of the U.S.

2
Mole Poblano (Mexico)

• Usually made with chicken or turkey
• Tomato-based sauce features fire-roasted peppers,
  cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, and anis
  seeds
• You don't know what delicious means until you
  try it!

3
Aji de Gallina (Peru)

• Start with hen or chicken
• Add a delicious, creamy, peppery sauce, and..
• You will have one of the best chicken dishes
  around

4
Papa a la huancaina

• Potatoes in a cheesy, creamy, peppery sauce
• Unique and delicious
• It's what potatoes au gratin want to be when they
  grow up

5
Ceviche peruano

• Like sushi, only better
• Yes, the fish is raw...
• But cured in lemon (and therefore safe)
• A must-try for seafood lovers
• Also try the Caribbean varieties

6
Pupusas (El Salvador)

• No, it's not a dirty word...
• It's a thick corn cake filled with meat, cheese
  and spices
• Topped with a slaw madde of cabbage and peppers
• It's still fun to call your little brother a
  pupusa

7
El gallo pinto (Nicaragua)

• Simple dish of pinto beans and rice
• Seasoned with olive oil and garlic
• Usually served with fried plantains

8
Nacatamales (Nicaragua)

• A tamal wrapped in plantain leaves
• The filling consists of corn meal, yucca meal,
  pork, rice, potatoes, tomatoes, onion and
  chiltoma peppers
• Steamed for five hours before serving

9
Vigorón (Nicaragua)

• A dish of several layers served over a plantain
  leaf
• Stewed yucca
• A pork dish called chicharrón
• A salad of cabbage and tomatoes
• Unbelievably delicious

10
Alfajores (Argentina)

• The best cookie or pastry on the planet
• Filled with dulce de leche, a caramel-like milk
  product
• Worth every pound you gain!

11
Helado de lúcuma

• Lúcuma ice cream
• Lúcuma is native to the Andes
• A favorite of the Incas
• Ice cream was invented by a chef to the French
  royalty
• Put the two together, and you have a dish fit for
  a king anywhere...

12
Flan

• Latin America's answer to custard
• The fresh preparation and the fresh cinnamon make
  the difference
• DON'T EVER use a prepared mix from an envelope...
  Yuck!

13
The Wines of Chile

• Some of the finest wines in the world
• 10 will get you a good bottle of wine
• 20, a great one
• Some recommended brands Don Amado and Zavala are
  excellent
• Santa Rita is decent table wine
• Chile is best known for first-rate Cabernets and
  Merlots
• The pinot grigio isn't bad
• Enjoy in moderation, and then repeat if necessary

14
The Wines of Argentina

• The Mendoza valley is an up-and-coming wine
  exporter
• The malbec is the best local grape
• Several malbecs have one international acclaim

15
Pisco

• Peru's liquor of choice is pisco, a distilled
  spirit of the grape similar to Italian grappa.
• The pisco sour is Peru's national cocktail
• I've never met a soul who didn't like it

16
Ron Centenario (Costa Rica)

• Costa Rica's best rum
• Almost like cognac in its flavor and texture
• A nice way to knock off a few brain cells

17
Ron Flor de Caña (Nicaragua)

• Also a fine rum
• Widely available in the U.S.
• If you mix it with Coke to make a Cuba Libre, you
  are wasting your money, and your palate

If this looks blurry, you've had too much.
18
Ay, Mama Inés...

• Latin America has many fine coffees (of course)
• I recommend the Costa Rican and Peruvian
  varieties at www.cafebritt.com
• The DR's Mama Inés brand is a bargain.
  http//store.amigofoods.com/cafemamaines.html
• Colombia's Sello Rojo is also an excellent
  coffee.http//store.amigofoods.com/cafecoffee4.ht
  ml