Herbs and spices

Chileans use herbs and spices carefully in their cooking, as flavour-enhancers rather than as dominant features. The most commonly used ones are dried oregano and ground cumin, which, along with salt and pepper, are the primary seasoning agents. Paprika and merquén or merken (ground, smoked chilli pepper) lend a spicy note to dry rubs for meat and fish, in lentil and vegetable dishes, in stews and pies, and on peanuts and salty olives. Primarily used in Mapuche and other Andean cuisines, there are two types: ‘merquén natural’, which is mixed with salt, and ‘special merquén’, which is a blend of merquén, salt and roasted ground coriander seeds. A small amount of fresh chilli is occasionally added to some dishes for a subtle kick, but very hot recipes are not the norm. Garlic, however, is used along with onion in numerous dishes, adding its distinctive Mediterranean flavour to traditional ingredients.