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FijiFlavors · Valparaíso
Platter of french fries topped with strips of beef, sautéed onion and egg, served for sharing. It is associated with Valparaíso’s traditional bars, where it became popular.
Traditional dish from Valparaíso, Valparaíso
Also known as: chorrillana porteña
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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Chorrillana — Valparaíso, Chile
The chorrillana is a mountain of french fries topped with strips of beef sautéed, onions cooked until soft, and eggs, either fried or scrambled. It comes in a large platter for several people, and is eaten with a fork straight from the center of the table. The beef-and-potato base is the only constant: many versions add sausage, hot dogs, or other ingredients.
The dish is tied to Valparaíso’s nightlife. Food writers describe it as the city’s contribution to Chilean popular food, born in the picadas — the simple port bars — to accompany beer and wine. One of those bars in the city center claims to have created the recipe in the 1970s as an inexpensive, hearty dish for students.
The origin, however, is disputed. Other accounts mention a “lomo a la chorrillana” served in Copiapó, a recipe from the locality of Chorrillos near Lima, or a connection to the War of the Pacific. None of these have definitive proof, and the name also lacks a certain explanation.
Over time, the chorrillana spread throughout Chile and became a common dish in the country’s bars and soda fountains.
Valparaíso , Valparaíso
The culinary press associates the chorrillana with Valparaíso, where the dish became popular in the port’s traditional bars.
French fries, beef strips, onion, eggs, salt and pepper. Some versions include sausage or hot dog.
In the center of the table, on a platter for two or more people, with forks for everyone. It is commonly served with beer or wine.
Bar food and a social dish for gatherings with friends, common at night and on weekends.
Your questions
French fries topped with strips of beef, sautéed onion and egg. Many versions add sausage or hot dog.
This is the best-known version, claimed by a traditional bar in the city that says it created the dish in the 1970s. Other versions point to Copiapó, the Peruvian locality of Chorrillos, or the War of the Pacific. The origin remains disputed.
It is generally served to share, between two or more people. Ask about portion size when ordering, because it varies from place to place.
Flavors of Chile
Drink made from fermented grape must, slightly sweet, produced in Curacaví, near Santiago, with cooking in copper or stainless-steel vats. It has a designation of origin since 2017 and an annual festival.
Sweet shortcrust tart topped with seasonal fruits such as raspberry, strawberry, murta and currant, inherited from the German settlers of southern Chile. In Frutillar, it is the pastry served in the tea houses.
Earth oven of the Rapanui people: meats, fish, sweet potato, taro and banana slowly cooked on hot volcanic stones, wrapped in banana leaves. It is the most traditional preparation of Rapa Nui cuisine.
Artisanal sweets made by families of confectioners from La Ligua and sold by vendors wearing white aprons and carrying baskets, in town and along the road. They have a geographical indication and are Chile’s intangible cultural heritage.
Shellfish, meats, sausage, potatoes and potato breads cooked in a hole in the ground, over hot stones, covered with large leaves. It is the dish most associated with Chiloé, in southern Chile.
Whole lamb opened on an iron cross and slowly roasted beside the fire, a dish of the sheep estancias of the Chilean Patagonia. It is the one most associated with the gastronomy of Magallanes.
Grape brandy with Chilean designation of origin, distilled from wine made from grape varieties defined by law in the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo. The Elqui Valley and the village of Pisco Elqui are its heart.
Hot sandwich of thin beef cooked on a griddle with melted cheese, usually served on marraqueta bread. It’s named after President Ramón Barros Luco, who used to order it in Santiago.
Pipeño wine drink with pineapple ice cream, sometimes with grenadine or fernet. Its name is linked to the bars of Santiago and the 1985 earthquake, and it became a drink of the Fiestas Patrias.
