Topic: Gastronomy

How to Order a Coffee in Spanish

Coffee in Spanish

Mmmmmm….a view of the ocean from my balcony, the harbor is waking, the birds singing their songs. I rub the sleep from my eyes, breathe in the salty, foreign air and reach for…what’s this?! A cup of bitter, grainy Nescafe.

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Chilean Wine Country: The Next Best Vineyard Destination

Casablanca Wine Valley

The word is getting out about Chilean wine country, from established valleys like Aconcagua and Colchagua to up-and-comers like San Antonio. Chile is now challenging the best-liked wineries in California and France. With vineyards tucked into valleys between the jagged Pacific Coast and the foothills of the Andes, many within a short drive from Santiago,

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Hola Arepa: Latin American Cuisine At It’s Finest

Latin American Cuisine

Christina Nguyen and Birk Stefan Grudem are the proud creators and owners of Hola Arepa, the Minneapolis born food truck and brand new Latin American cuisine restaurant on 35th and Nicolette in South Minneapolis. Tara and I were lucky enough to enjoy a quick bite and drinks there a few weeks ago and, after having such a

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Good Eats in Santiago

Best Restaurants of Santiago

The travel magazine Afar boasts in its October issue about a yummy find in Chile’s capital city: “The chef behind Santiago’s restaurant Boragó is on a mission to promote his country’s overlooked ingredients, such as the superacidic copoa fruit, which grows in the Atacama desert.“ Pictured above (courtesy of Afar) is grouper baked in a

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Gastronomy: Merken in Food & Wine Magazine

Cooking With Merken

While perusing through the August issue of Food & Wine the other week I was delighted to find that not only was Minneapolis (Jordan and I’s hometown) featured as a foodie’s paradise, but Knowmad’s favorite spice, Merken, from Chile got a mention as well. I’ve of course been throwing it on everything since…roasted tomatoes (yum),

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Curried Quinoa

curried quinoa

Quinoa seems to be all the rage lately, as this world is discovering how hard gluten can be on your body. This grain, native to the high Andean regions of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Columbia, is a great source of protein, calcium and iron. The Incans revered the crop and considered it sacred, referring it

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Gastronomy: Mate

Mate

Mate is a tea infusion made from the leaves of the coca plant as well as other plants. Slightly bitter in taste, it’s drunk throughout many South American countries including Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. The culture of mate, which differs from region to region, is steeped in tradition. In the high Andean cultures,

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Gastronomy: Merken

Merken - Spice from Chile

Merken is a spice found in Chile, South America. It’s made primarily of a long, pointed chili pepper called “aji”, or “cacho de cabra” in local dialect, and coriander. However, it’s surprisingly not that spicy.

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