Vegetables

One of the world’s major exporters of vegetables, Chile produces and enjoys a magnificent range of top-quality ingredients, ranging from asparagus, beans, olives and tomatoes to corn, avocados, onions and garlic. Many of these new crops were introduced by European settlers, but prior to their arrival indigenous people cultivated a great range of vegetables, and trade between farmers and fishermen was commonplace. Possibly the most important of these native crops was maize or corn, known as choclo in Chile, which fuelled the mighty Maya, Aztec and Inca empires. Having been spread across the country from the Atacameños in the north to the Mapuches in the south by traders, maize still features in many national favourites, such as humitas (Chilean tamales), pastel de choclo (corn pie) and porotos granados (corn and bean stew).