Dining Out in South America

Customs may vary from place to place, but this information will give you the basics.

Called desayuno in Spanish and o pequeno almoço or café da manhã in Portuguese, breakfast is normally tea, coffee or hot chocolate with rolls, butter and jam, sometimes fruit or fruit juice. In Brazil and Chile, meat and cheese may be on the menu. Larger hotels and restaurant may cater to the international traveler with eggs, meat and other food items. Breakfast is usually on the light side.

Called almuerzo in Spanish and o almoço in Portuguese, the mid-day meal is traditionally a heavy one, followed by a siesta to recover both from food and the heat. The siesta may be disappearing from the business day, but a big meal is still the standard.

To appease hunger pangs, snack shops and street vendors, market stalls and sweet shops sell a variety of sandwiches, empanadas, snack items, hot dogs called panchos, plus regional food items. As a rule of thumb, when buying a snack from a street vendor or market stall, buy only what can be cooked in front of you and make sure it is cooked through. Churrascos are steak or meat sandwiches with many variations

Called cena or merienda in Spanish, and jantar in Portuguese, this is another heavy meal, taken slowly and often lasting several hours. This meal often begins later in the evening, sometimes nine or after.

Desserts as a rule, are not the lavish, sweet concoctions known elsewhere. Fruit, fresh or canned, or as fruit salad, plus cheese and custard, flan, are standard. Flan usually is served with crema, whipped cream or a caramel sauce called dulce de leche.

Be sure to read Cuisine of South America for regional specialties for food and drink, plus descriptions of ethnic foods by country.

There are many choices for eating out, from the most expensive restaurants to the cheapest market stall meals eaten standing up. This dining chart lists the types of restaurants and menus found in the various countries.

Enjoy your meal!