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Dish · Cochabamba
Pique macho
Platter to share, with beef strips, sausage, French fries, onion, tomato, locoto and boiled egg. Created in Cochabamba, it was chosen in 2019 as the department's most representative dish.
Flavors · Santa Cruz
Majadito
Cooked rice with shredded charque or other meats, served with a fried egg and fried cooking banana. It is the most consumed dish of cruceña cuisine from the Bolivian Lowlands (Oriente).
Traditional dish from Santa Cruz
Also known as: Majao, Majau, Majadito cruceño
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Majadito — Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Majadito is a dish of cooked rice with meat, seasoned with onion, tomato, bell pepper and annatto, which gives it an orange color. The most traditional version uses charque, the dried salted meat, shredded. It is topped with a fried egg and accompanied by fried cooking banana and often boiled cassava.
It is the signature dish of cruceña cuisine, from the department of Santa Cruz in the Bolivian Lowlands (Oriente). A 2021 study by the Instituto Cruceño de Estadística on the consumption of typical foods in the Santa Cruz de la Sierra metropolitan area identified majadito as the star dish: 97% of respondents said they eat it.
The name comes from majar, to pound: the meat was struck in a tacú, the wooden mortar, before going into the pot. There are two known forms, majadito tostado, drier, and majadito batido, moister. Besides charque, there are versions with duck, chicken and smoked rib.
At the Cabañas on the Piraí River, near Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a departmental law records festivals of cruceña food, including a majadito festival showcasing the different versions. Majadito is also common in the neighboring department of Beni.
It is a lunchtime dish, served in homes and popular restaurants, and is often the first choice for those wanting to try Oriente cuisine.
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Where it comes from
Santa Cruz
Dish of cruceña cuisine and the Oriente, with no specific city of origin; identified by the ICE as the most consumed dish in Santa Cruz.
Ingredients
Rice, shredded charque (or duck, chicken or smoked rib), onion, tomato, bell pepper and annatto. Served with a fried egg, fried cooking banana and often boiled cassava.
How it is eaten
At lunch, with the rice and meat on the plate, the fried egg on top and the cooking banana at the side.
When it is eaten
Year‑round. The Cabañas on the Piraí River hold festivals of cruceña food, including one for majadito.
Your questions
Questions about Majadito
What is majadito?
A dish of cooked rice with meat, generally shredded charque, served with a fried egg and fried cooking banana. It is the best‑known dish of cruceña cuisine from the department of Santa Cruz.
Why is it called majadito?
The name comes from majar, to pound: the meat was struck in a tacú, the wooden mortar, before going into the pot.
What is the difference between majadito tostado and batido?
The tostado version is drier, with looser rice; the batido is moister. Both forms use the same type of meat and accompaniments.
Flavors of Bolivia
Discover other flavors of Bolivia
Dish · Cochabamba
Silpancho
Layered dish from Cochabamba: rice, boiled and fried potato, a very thin breaded steak, fried egg and a salad of onion, tomato and locoto. The name comes from Quechua and means flattened and thin.
Dish · La Paz
Fricasé
Thick soup from La Paz with pieces of pork cooked in a yellow ají broth, served with mote of white corn and chuño. It is part of the traditional cuisine declared a municipal heritage.
Dish · Oruro
Charquekan
Oruro dish of shredded llama charque fried until crispy, served with mote (corn), potato, hard‑boiled egg, cheese and llajwa. It is a traditional specialty of the city of Oruro.
Dish · Potosí
K'alapurka
Thick soup made from white cornmeal with meat, potato and red ají, served in a clay bowl with a very hot volcanic stone inside that makes the broth boil at the table. It is a national heritage dish as representative cuisine of Potosí.
Dish · Potosí
Salteña
Baked empanada with a slightly sweet dough and a juicy filling of meat, potato, ají and broth, eaten mid-morning throughout Bolivia. Law 485 declared the salteña potosina a national heritage; its origin is disputed.
Dish · Sucre
Mondongo chuquisaqueño
Pork stew in a red ají sauce, served with mote of white corn and potato. It is listed among Sucre’s emblematic dishes and has its own fairs in the city.
Dish · Tarija
Saice tarijeño
Spicy stew of ground beef with diced potato, peas and red ají, served with rice and a fresh salad. It is Tarija’s signature dish and the most representative of Tarija cuisine, according to the municipality.
Drink · Tarija
Singani
Brandy (aguardiente) from Moscatel de Alexandria grapes with Bolivian denomination of origin, produced in high-altitude valleys. The Tarija valleys are the primary production zone of the denomination and the center of the Wine and Singani Route.