Probably thanks to great American exports like MacDonalds, the archetype of “American” food is often considered hamburgers and hotdogs. While I’ve heard both culinary achievements originated from Germany, there may be some truth to their close association with the good old US of A. Even if you don’t embrace our great fast-food tradition (I have done my best to escape it’s grip with limited success), there is something very American about hotdogs at a baseball game or hamburgers on a fourth of July grill. However, despite our reputed love of the processed or ground meat, Chileans take meat in a bun a step further.
If you are to go to any Chilean diner and order a sandwich, chances are it will contain all the essential components of an American hamburger: ¼ kilo of meat (cow or otherwise), a slice of cheese, mayonnaise and other condiments, all placed on a very large round bun. Additionally you are likely to find a whole avocado’s worth of guacamole slathered atop your meat or even sliced green beans! Oh and of course there is the familiar side of papas fritas (a.k.a. French fries o Freedom fries depending on your love of patriotic word play). While I don’t know in which county the potato was first sliced up and thrown into a deep fryer, South America and Chile in particular have a legitimate claim to our favorite tuber. The potato is native to the Americas and most modern cultivated varieties can be traced back to the island of Chiloe in southern Chile.
In addition to the hamburger and French fries, Chileans are in love with their hotdogs or “completos”. However, the Chilean completo is really an entirely different beast than what you will see at summer BBQ in California or Iowa. Yes, there is a normal looking hot dog bun containing a pork sausage, but the bun is merely a vehicle for condiments and the meat an afterthought, its presence only necessary so that the completo can be called a meal. The real star of the show is what can be spooned, squeezed or pored on top. Mustard and ketchup are accompanied by mayonnaise, guacamole, sliced tomatoes and whatever additional sauce or sauce-like substance is available. Once the completo is completed, you will simply have to trust that the chef remembered the meat as it will be hidden under the mounds of condiments overflowing the bun. As evidenced by the attached pictures, Anna and I continue to believe the sausage should remain a major part of the experience so we have made a slight North American adjustment to our home made completos and included meat.
The completo is consumed at any hour of the day as a mid-day snack or as the entirety of the evening meal (cerca 10pm). Alongside imported MacDonalds and Burger Kings, you will find Chilean fast food chains such as SchopDog (“Schop” meaning beer on draft) and Doggis that specialize in this gastronomic delight. There is even a national day of the completo, akin to our national corn dog day but more widely observed, where patrons line up around the block to take advantage of 200 peso dogs (about 40 cents). The US may be known for and proud of its hamburger and hotdog tradition, but Chile really takes the proverbial cake on this one, at least where the completo is concerned. Oh and they are pretty darn good – if you don’t think too hard about your waistline.
