Have you experienced a Terremoto in Chile?

Have you experienced a Terremoto in Chile?

Here we are not talking about the violent movements of the Earth but the iconic Chilean drink known as the Terremoto!

So what exactly is it?

TERREMOTO - Pipeño (a type of sweet fermented wine) with pineapple ice-cream served in a one-litre glass. Terremoto literally translates as 'Earthquake' since you are left with the ground (and legs) feeling very shaky. The next round usually contains the same drink though only in a glass that holds half a litre. This is called a Replica or 'aftershock'.

(Source: http://www.southamerica.cl/Chile/Drinks.htm)

This famous drink (you can’t really call it a cocktail and keep a straight face) originated at a well-known eating establishment/bar in Santiago called El Hoyo (literally translated as The Hole or Pit).

The story goes that some German reporters came to Santiago to report about the damages caused by the major earthquake that had struck the city in March 1985. Due to the heat, the reporters asked for something refreshing so a waiter called Guillermo Valenzuela added some ice-cream to a glass of pipeño. When they tried the concoction, they supposedly said “Esto sí que es un Terremoto” (This truly is an earthquake) due to how strong it was and the name stuck even since.

And those Germans weren’t far from the truth; this stuff will leave you shaking at the knees.

Terremoto Recipe

The recipe is very simple with no measuring instruments required.

1. Clump some pineapple ice-cream into a jug.
2. Fill the remainder of the jug up with pipeño (or fermented white wine)
3. Serve in a glass and drink.

Have you ever experienced a Terremoto?

Visit our South America Food and Drink Group to discover more food and drink from the continent.

Happy Pisco Day!

Happy Pisco Day!

The 15th of May is officially the Día Nacional del Pisco or National Day of Pisco in Chile!

Check out this article (in Spanish) on the Government of Chile website stating how President Bachelet signed the decree today.

Why did they choose this date? Well on this same date in 1931, Ex President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo decreed law N° 181, in which the production of Pisco was limited to the then provinces of Atacama and Coquimbo in order to protect the denomination of origin of Pisco. Of course the bragging rights to the origin of Pisco are still heavily disputed between Chile and Peru.

If you don’t know what Pisco is yet, check out: Chilean Pisco

I'll drink to that!

Brazilian Food and Drink

We were in Brazil during March last year so had the pleasure of indulging in Brazilian food and drink. One of the things we loved was the fact that there are places where you can buy food by the kilo and sit down and eat it there. It's like a buffet where you can pile whatever you like onto your plate, it then gets weighed and you are charged for it. And since many of the things on display were new to us, we certainly indulged and experimented.

Almost a year later I have finally got around to creating some pages about typical food from Brazil and also another about typical drinks from there.
You can find them at: Typical Brazilan Food and Typical Brazilian Drinks.

Keep an eye for the dish made from alligator meat and a drink called Caju Amigo: "The Friendly Cashew"

One of my favourite things about travelling is experimenting the local food. Fortunately I have an iron stomach so I can eat from street stands or buy from vendores walking around offering their wares. Eating where the locals eat is such an important part of the experience.



Something we bought at a stand on the street called Agua de Coco (Coconut Water). The coconut was cut open with a mini machete in front of us. It was yummy!

Drunk at work in Peru is Legal?

Been flicking through some Peruvian newspapers this morning and a story got my attention.

Carlos Mesía, the vice-president of the Constitutional Court of Peru, defended the verdict they recently gave out indicating that arriving in a state of drunkenness to work is not cause for immediate dismissal though it is a serious fault that should be punishable.

This verdict was decided after the lawsuit presented by Pablo Cayo Mendoza against the Chorrillos City Council who he used to be a street cleaner for.

According to the Court… “In this case, the city council employee arrived smelling of alcohol and he is a simple worker, not a manager, nor in the mayor’s office, just a simple street cleaner so there’s no problem with that. It is unreasonable to fire an employee for coming to work in a state of drunkenness if that person at no moment commit an act of violence, insult or lack of respect both verbally or written against the employer, their bosses o other workers.

Then the court said that this was a one off case that doesn’t set a precedent?????
Source: El Comercio – a Peruvian newspaper (in Spanish)

Basically it comes down to letting you get drunk but don’t be a big &%$*! (bleep) to your co-workers. Great, so where’s my bottle of Peruvian Pisco!!!

With all this hype in Peru, I wonder how easy it will be for Pablo Cayo Mendoza to get another job.

Venezuelan Food & Drink

Another couple of pages to make you hungry should you read them before lunch:

Venezuela - Typical Food - Traditional Meals, Snacks & Desserts
Venezuela - Typical Drinks - From Milkshakes to Rum.

Enjoy...

Colombian Food & Drink

Now, everyone who had anything to do with the compilation of the following pages where left incredibly hungry (and thirsty).

The favourite pages of our visitors are about the typical food and drink of South American countries so now we have included Colombia to the list.

Typical Colombian Food - Everything from ants to fried bananas.


Typical Colombian Drinks - The classic Aguadiente, rum and lets not forget Colombia's specialty, Coffee!

Hope you enjoy them!

Food and Drink of Argentina

We have started a guide to typical Argentinian Food and Drink.

Argentina FOOD Guide including the classic Dulce de Leche which is everywhere and in everything.

Argentina DRINK Guide including Mate that you can see Argentinians drinking and sharing almost everywhere too!

We know that it needs a little more information so if anyone knows of any food or drink that is typical of Argentina that we haven't written yet, please let us know.