Saice tarijeño

Saice tarijeño is a stew of chopped or ground beef, cooked with diced potato, peas, onion and red ají, seasoned with cumin and pepper. Many kitchens use cow’s foot in the broth to give it body. It is served with rice, sometimes noodles, and a salad of tomato, onion and locoto; some versions include chuño with peanuts.

The Directorate of Tourism and Culture of the municipality of Tarija presents saice as the most representative dish of Tarija cuisine. In 2019, in a process led by the Gobernación, the municipality, gastronomic associations and the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, saice was chosen from 14 proposals as the department’s signature dish.

Regarding its origin, the director of the Historical Archive of Tarija, Elías Vacaflor Dorakis, points to the influence of Spanish stews in the development of the dish, prepared with ingredients available both in the countryside and the city. One version reported in the press links the popularization of saice to the 1930s, when it was prepared in large quantities for those passing through Tarija on their way to the Chaco War.

Chapaco is the popular demonym for people from Tarija, and saice chapaco is another way to call the dish. The city’s central market is one of the traditional places where it is served.

Saice is a lunchtime dish, hearty and as spicy as the ají colorado. Because it is made with chopped meat, it is quick to serve, which helped make it popular in market kitchens.