Bolivia as many of you may know is a beautiful place
to live and is full of new experiences. Bolivia is one of the few countries
that has a big diversity in ethnic groups, there are around 37 languages. That
is why our president Evo Morales changed the name from the Republic of Bolivia
to the Plurinational State of Bolivia. Since we have that many ethnic groups
and different cultures, we are rich in a lot of different sectors such as:
Music, Food, Religion and even more.
I created this blog because I wanted to show all of
you the best places to eat traditional food here in Bolivia and
the favorite Bolivians plate. In these places you will find
flavors that you have not tasted before in your life, and that probably will
not find anywhere else. The traditional food here in Bolivia is not expensive
at all and in the majority of places the serving sizes are big. This is one of
the most common points of view, "Eat a lot for a low price". One of
my biggest objectives in this blog is to persuade all of you to come here to
Bolivia and learn more from our cultures.
One of the principal characteristics here in Bolivia,
especially La Paz, is that you can eat anywhere you want. There are a lot of
food kiosks around the Perez Street as well as on the 21st street in Calacoto.
The best dishes that you can eat here in Bolivia, for me, are the Salteñas and
the Anticuchos. These two plates are the most ordered and eaten here. There are
very traditional here, specially the hours for eating them.
My favorite dish here in La Paz and I think that for
almost very one are the salteñas. The Salteñas have a special flavor that you
will not find anywhere else. Inside them there is a warm broth made from fine
herbs and that it also is a little bit spicy. The majority of the salteñas is
composed of potato and meat. There is a big variety of them, some are made with
chicken, some are vegetarian that have no meat, and some of them are very hot.
These changes create wonderful flavors that you to try! There are a lot of
places here in Bolivia where you can buy them, especially here in La Paz, there
is a lot of competition and in this case you could say that "Each one
better than the other".
The most common characteristics of the salteñas is
that the dough always has a brownish golden color and a very brown crest, in
some "restaurants" the crest works to differentiate them, if they are
meat, chicken, vegetarian, or hot. For such a delicious food the price is also
unbelievable since it is also Bs. 4,5 which is $0.6. The usual hour, in which
the salteñas are served at noon, it is like a type of food for a fast
"break". My favorite place to eat them would be the restaurant La
Paceña or Los Castores, both in the 21st street of Calacoto.
In our next stops we are going to talk about two of
my preferred plates here in La Paz, the Anticuchos and the great Sandwich de
Chola. If you have never tried these two yet, you have not lived.
My second favorite dish here in Bolivia is the famous
Anticuchos; they are delicious and easy to find here in La Paz. The anticuchos
are made of meat from the cow’s heart; this meat has a special flavor that is
amazing. It is usually served with a spicy peanut sauce and some potatoes. They
are usually served in food kiosks, because the “caseritas” the ones that cook
the anticuchos have portable barbecues. One of the things that I do not like a
lot about this food kiosks is that they are not very sanitary, but the
anticuchos are delicious anyways. My favorite place to eat them is beside the
San Miguel’s Church, before the restaurant Rey Porky. The “caserita” from this
kiosk cooks very fast and leaves them with a delicious flavor. Sometimes her
peanut sauce is very spicy, so be careful. This place is at the left side of
the Ballivian Avenue, right after you pass the 21st Street of
Calacoto. The serving size of the anticuchos is not very big, per serving you
get 4 to 5 slices of the meat and this only costs Bs. 7 that is $1
approximately.
The next dish we will talk about is the big and great
Sandwich de Chola. This sandwich is very rich in flavor and the combination
that it has inside it will make your tongue numb. The price is very reasonable
in this case, because it is a little big in some cases and has a lot of items
in the inside. It costs around Bs. 12 that in dollars it would be $1.74. The
best place for having one of these sandwiches here in La Paz would be the
“Parque de las Cholas” where there are a lot of kiosks. The Sandwich de Chola
is made of pork, onion, spicy beans, bread, vegetables, and spices of different
kinds. It is usually eaten at lunchtime or before or even after it.
In conclusion there are a lot of dishes of
traditional food in Bolivia. Each one of them has its unique flavor and a
perfectly good preparation. If you ever come to Bolivia be sure to try almost
every thing of the traditional food, because they will make you feel like you
were in heaven. We also have certain hours to eat certain plates. So I invite
you to come here and make the most of our beautiful country Bolivia. Gain unbelievable
experiences and learn from our various cultures. Hoping to be helpful.
In conclusion there are a lot of dishes of traditional food in Bolivia. Each one of them has its unique flavor and a perfectly good preparation. If you ever come to Bolivia be sure to try almost every thing of the traditional food, because they will make you feel like you were in heaven. We also have certain hours to eat certain plates. So I invite you to come here and make the most of our beautiful country Bolivia. Gain unbelievable experiences and learn from our various cultures. Hoping to be helpful.
