1. Cachorro Quente
Cachorro quente is the Brazilian version of a hotdog consisting of a bread roll filled with ground beef in sauce, sausage, and melted cheese. This dish is served with corn, mashed potatoes, fries, grated corns, pico de gallo, or peas, depending on the customer’s preference. You can definitely put any toppings on it, and each region in Brazil has its own choice.
2. Salchipapas
Salchipapas is a famous Peruvian street food staple that started as a poor man’s dish. The dish name is derived from its main ingredients – salchicha (sausage) and papas (potatoes). Sold by many street vendors, salchipapas is made by frying thinly sliced sausages and mixing them with French fries.
It is commonly served with four dipping sauces: aju chili sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard. Extra garnishes such as cheese, fried eggs, lettuce, or tomatoes are added to the dish. Its popularity has spread outside of the borders of Peruvia and now consumed in Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador.
3. Papa Rellena
Golden, warm, and tender rellenas are traditional Peruvian stuffed potatoes, a type of croquette consisting of meat filling with fried mashed potatoes on the interior. The filling consists of chopped beef mixed with cumin and onions.
The typical accompaniment to Papa Rellena in Peru is Salsa Criolla. The dish is popular as street food but is also served at restaurants and prepared at home. Some theory suggested that this dish was invented in 1879 during the Pacific War by Peruvian soldiers who needed a pre-made and lasting food. They cooked and seasoned the meat, place it into the hollowed potatoes, which were fried and wrapped in cloths.
After that war, the dish was then popularised by the people who would add their touch to the basic recipe. Today, this dish is no longer reserved by Peruvians and was now promoted throughout the world.
4. Completo
Completo is one of the most famous street food items in Chile. This Chilean version of the famous American hotdog is made with boiled wiener sausages served inside plain bread rolls. The entire dish is finished with generous amounts of various savoury condiments such as mustard, mayonnaise, chopped potatoes, mashed avocado, sauerkraut, and many other luscious combinations.
Depending on what toppings you put on it, Completo may appear under various names such as Italiana and can be found in the fast food chains and local, laid-back eateries everywhere in the country.
5. Acaraje
Acaraje is one of the most popular street food in Bahia, the northern state of Brazil. Consisting of black-eyed peas or peeled peas formed into a ball, deep-fried in dende palm oil, split in half, then stuffed with flavourful spicy pastes made from numerous ingredients such as shrimp, palm oil, and cashews.
The typical accompaniments to the dish include homemade hot pepper sauces and a tomato salad. It was during the colonial period of the country when the dish originated. The Nigerian slaves started selling these on the streets of Brazil.
Today, acaraje represents a good example of how African influences have shaped Brazil’s culinary identity and cultural heritage.
6. Choripan
Known as the ultimate Argentine street food, Choripan, is a sandwich consisting of chorizo sausage and a variety of condiments in a crusty bun. Since it is mostly sold at street stands throughout Latin America, this is usually consumed on the go.
The name choripan is derived from two words: chorizo, referring to the pan (bread) and sausage.
7. Anticucho
Anticucho is a meat dish consisting of small pieces of skewered and grilled meat. The Anticuchos De Corazon is the most popular type that is made with beef heart. Peruvian in origin, this dish gained popularity throughout Central and South America.
8. Coxinha
Originated around Sao Paulo in the 19th century, Coxinha is one of Brazil’s favourite foods. This crispy croquette is filled with chicken meat and cream cheese shaped into a chicken drumstick, then breaded and deep-fried.
This Brazilian food was spread to Parana, and Rio de Janeiro by the 1950s nd is now one of the most popular salgados (savoury appetisers) across the country.
9. Empanadas Tucumanas
A specialty of Tucuman’s region is quite different from numerous empanadas found in Buenos Aires. Tucumanas are handmade according to old, traditional recipes, and are characterized by crispy dough and ideal proportions of dough and fillings.
This dough is made with wheat flour and beef fat and is filled with chicken, beef, or tripe, along with other ingredients such as cumin, paprika, hard-boiled eggs, onions, and raisins. Authentic Tucumanas are baked in a clay oven and best enjoyed with a glass of local wine on the side.
10. Picarones
A staple of Peruvian street food, Picarones is a tasty, deep-fried treat that is often referred to as the Peruvian doughnuts. The dough is shaped into a ring and fried in hot oil then will be drizzled with sweet cane syrup. This food is now trendy during the religious festivities in October.
