Plant-Based Eating in Chile

I had an amazing week in Chile! I was invited by Verlasso to learn more about sustainably raised salmon, which I am very interested in. Although I’m vegan, I work with lots of people who are on the plant-powered spectrum, including pescatarians and flexitarians (semi-vegetarians). I encourage people to find their way along the plant-powered spectrum, according to their own personal choice. If you’re an omnivore (you eat everything), I encourage you to start with Meatless Monday and just try skipping meat once a week. And then from there you can try a semi-vegetarian or flexitarian diet and reduce your meat consumption even further. From there you may want to try a pescatarian lifestyle—which is a vegetarian diet with small amounts of seafood. And then if you feel like moving on from there, you can try vegetarianism or veganism. Just get on the plant-powered spectrum!

It’s a long trip from LA to the Patagonia region of Chile. I traveled through Lima and ended up in Santiago, where I took a plane to Puerto Montt Airport before we made the half hour trip to our hotel in Puerto Varas.

Enrique and Rodrigo serving dinner at a farmhouse in Chile

I sampled amazing plant-powered foods and wines in Chile. We were blessed to have Enrique as our tour guide, and Chef Rodrigo and sommelier Magda (a husband and wife team at La Jardinera gastropub in Puerto Chico, Chile) taking such wonderful care of us! They even made vegan dishes especially for me at each meal!

Cochayuyo seaweed toasts

This is a traditional seaweed salad served on toast—it was so savory and salty!

Cochayuyo at the market

Cochayuyo looks like this when it’s raw—look at those big thick slabs!

Fresh strawberries with husk cherries

I had never tried husk cherries—a pretty little yellow fruit with a papery husk, almost like a tomatillo. But the fruit resembles a tart little cherry!

Chilean Wine

The Chilean wine scene is growing! When I studied wine at the Culinary Institute of America, my wine teacher reported how excited she was with Chile’s emerging wine status. So, it was such a pleasure to try a number of gorgeous whites, such as Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay (even a sparkling wine), as well as reds, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and red blends. I just loved this crisp Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc.

Polo Sur, Refurbished Barn in Chilean Countryside

We were so honored to be invited into the refurbished barn of the family of Torben Petersen, CEO of AquaChile. This was a 100-year old barn that had been completely restored. Here you see one wall from the barn was fashioned with glass—the old skeleton of the barn frame framing it in. Lovely!

Dinner Table at a Refurbished Barn in Chile

I think that it is very important for flexitarians, pescatarians, and vegetarians to be really choosy when it comes to which animal products they purchase and support humanely raised, sustainably produced dairy products, eggs, and animal products. Learn about how your food is produced! I work with lots of pescatarians, and many are concerned about what sort of fish they should choose. After all, the world’s waters are being depleted, and many forms of fishing take their toll on the ocean. There will not be enough fish to feed the planet at the rate we are going.

Stray Dogs in Chile

Chile has it’s fair share of stray dogs, but they looked pretty well nourished in Patagonia, such as this friendly guy that came to visit us at dinner at the refurbished barn.

Chilean Sunset in the Countryside

Asparagus Appetizer

This gorgeous platter was festooned with an earthy vegetable puree, complete with asparagus crowns!

Volcanoes Everywhere!

Chile is literally studded with volcanoes. At one point, I could glimpse three in a row on the horizon. Here’s a sample of one of my vistas.

Amasado Pan

This traditional Chilean bread was served at nearly every meal. It’s a very tender, flakey bread—almost like our biscuits—but it has yeast.

Making Amasado Pan

The cook on the fish farm was making a fresh batch of amasado pan!

Boat Ride to Fish Farms

Our crew took a lovely ride along the Pacific Ocean way down south to the fish farms. This is the farthest south I’ve ever been in my life. I saw penguins swimming in the water! It’s such a pristine, gorgeous countryside—all green hills and valleys, stunning mountains and volcanoes, and crystal clear lakes.

At Sea with Barb Ruhs

It was great to see my friend and colleague Barb Ruhs on this trip. We hopped on a little raft from our boat to see the fish farms.

Verlasso

So, it was interesting learning about the potential for aquaculture, if it’s done well. I observed the entire operation—from food to finished product—in Chile, and I was impressed with the sustainability measures that were in place. In fact, Verlasso is the only farmed salmon with a Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch rating, which gave it a “good alternative” overall ranking.

Fish Farm at Verlasso

They have much stricter standards regarding the fish diet, conditions, water usage, and number of fish that can be in the pens.

More Wonderful Chilean Wine and Food at Sea

Enrique served us a wonderful red wine at lunch on the boat, as we glimpsed views of Chile. I even saw black-necked swans in the water!

Black-necked Swans

Those two little dots are black-necked swans!

Trek at Pigaffeta

For our last day, we hiked in the lovely forest, viewing the nature of Patagonia, and ended with an open-air lunch in the countryside.

Note: I am not a spokesperson or profiting from these products or companies; just providing my own unsolicited opinion about popular products, services, and organizations in the food world today!