Bolivia’s cuisine is a beautiful character who doesn’t recognize they’re beautiful. Argentina has asado, Brazil has churrascaria, and Bolivia’s meals…is not discussed all that plenty. But folks who do adventure to the underrated united states discover that it’s just like its food: humble, natural, and full of persona. From consolation meals to five-celebrity delicacies, Bolivia’s meals pack a punch—typically inside the maximum unassuming institutions—that might rival its greater popular pals.
Here are 10 dishes we tried on our maximum recent trip to La Paz, which might be uniquely Bolivian and could make you want to head there, like, the previous day.
Sopa de Mani (Peanut Soup)
Maybe it’s the modest call that makes this traditional soup so sudden—“peanut soup” doesn’t precisely sound existence-converting. In truth, it’s the exceptional issue we ate in Bolivia, and our most effective regret isn’t always licking the bowl. The peanut-infused broth is wealthy and creamy, anchored with the aid of a hunk of meat at the bone, plus pasta (surprise!) that are fried for added flavor, and it’s crowned with potato chips for a satisfyingly salty crunch.
Salteñas
Bolivia’s answer to the empanada, these beef and potato stuffed pastry pockets are eaten as a savory breakfast snack—and we’re upset nobody has ever informed us changed into an alternative using the manner. You can locate them throughout La Paz. However, the ones bought by using street vendors are typically simply as delicious as those in restaurants. Get going early, although; they notoriously disappear with the aid of afternoon.
Llama Steak
Yes, we ate a llama, and we feel responsible approximately it, okay? But permit’s study the records: There are extra than 3 million llamas in Bolivia, so it’s not unexpected that their meat is fed on simply as cows are within the U.S. In fact, the Andean distinctiveness appears on nearly every Bolivian menu, from time to time, in state-of-the-art recipes like llama carpaccio. The verdict: It’s tasty. However, it could be chewy due to the fact the beef is so lean. Ours was served with any other conventional meals, red quinoa, and perhaps the first-rate avocado we’ve ever had.
High-Altitude Chocolate
The flavor of chocolate in Bolivia would possibly wonder you. Visitors who come from the sea stage generally tend to think it’s less sweet than chocolate back domestic, which impacts the excessive altitude reducing your feeling of flavor. We’ve personally in no way had a chocolate bar we didn’t like.
El Ceibo, which claims to be the most effective chocolate logo absolutely produced by using the cocoa producers themselves from tree to client, makes their bars with organic cocoa beans (you’ll notice that the entirety in Bolivia seems to be natural). Try the Andean Royal Quinoa & Uyuni Salt bar; the salt in it comes from Bolivia’s famous salt flats, Salar de Uyuni.
Pasankalla (Puffed Cereal)
Think Kellogg’s Corn Pops or Honey Smacks, however lighter and mannerless processed, and also you’re heading in the right direction to this puffed cereal, glazed in sugar and offered in avenue markets in La Paz. Eat it like cereal or from the bag like popcorn, and watch the markets’ chaotic bustle spread. Varieties consist of sugar or cocoa-coated quinoa, corn, and even pasta.
