South America’s street food, which stands out for its colourful cultures as well as its flavours, has been kept alive throughout history with many recipes. It is inevitable that South America, which brings its street food cultures to a unique dimension with the special techniques and products used in street food and its construction, will be a destination in this regard. With recipes ranging from region to region, they open different doors on flavour while preserving culinary cultures. From Peru’s salchipapas to Brazil’s cachorro quente, we collected the most popular street food in a single title.

Acarajé

Acarajé, one of the most popular street dishes in Brazil, is made by mixing peeled beans into a ball and frying them in dendé palm oil and then adding flavours such as shrimp and cashew. Eaten with tomato salad and homemade hot sauce, acarajé began with Nigerian slaves selling it on the street during the colonial era. Acarajé is a very fine example of the influence of African culture on Brazilian cuisine.

Salchipapas

Salchipapas is a Peruvian street food that became very famous as a poor man’s dish. The name of the dish comes from the contents of the sausage (salchicha) and potatoes (papas). This street food, which you can see in Peru, is made by combining thinly sliced sausages with fried potatoes. It is traditionally served with ketchup, Aji chilli sauce, mustard and mayonnaise dipping sauces. Salchipapas, which spread from Peru to Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador, can also be served with eggs, cheese, cabbage.

Cachorro Quente

Cachorro quente, the Brazilian version of hot dog, is served with mince sauce and melted cheese on top of the sausage among the bread. It is traditionally consumed alongside many things to the customer’s taste, such as mashed potatoes, corn, grated carrots, pico de gallo or french fries.

Papa Rellena

Papa Rellena is a type of Peruvian croquet consisting of mashed potatoes filled with meat. On the inside, usually minced beef, cumin and onions are used. Papa rellena’s accompanist is usually the salsa criolla. Food is not only on the street but also in restaurants and homes.

Anticucho

Anticucho is a meat dish consisting of the most popular small skewers and grilled pieces of meat made with a beef heart called anticuchos de corazón. The dish, which quickly spread from Peru to the United States, is usually served with red wine vinegar and spices such as garlic, cumin and Aji pepper. This street dish, which you can see everywhere in Peru, can also be served with boiled potatoes.

Coxinha

Coxinha, Brazil’s favourite street food, is crispy croquet stuffed with chicken meat and cream cheese and fried in the form of a chicken baguette. The 19th-century São Paulo-originated meal then spread to Rio de Janeiro and Paraná in the 19th century, becoming the country’s most beloved salgados (business opener). This delicious Brazilian chicken-filled dish is often served with hot chilli sauce, salad dressing or garlic mayonnaise.

Picarones

Picarones, mentioned as Peruvian doughnut, most likely dates back to buñuelos of Spain. A new recipe generated from this recipe by adding sweet potatoes to the dough by local people. It is especially consumed on religious festivities in October.

Completo

For Completo, we can say the most preferred Chilean hot dog from the streets of Chile. The sausage between the bread is served with a variety of flavours, including smashed avocado, chopped tomatoes and sauerkraut, added on top.

Choripán

Choripán is an indispensable part of Argentine street food, where sausage made from spicy pork is served with crispy bread. The name of this flavour, which we can see in every corner of the streets in Latin America, is formed by a combination of the words chorizo (sausage) and pan (bread).

Empanadas Tucumanas

It is the special street flavour of the Tucumán region, unlike the empanadas in the Buenos Aires region. It is formed by flavouring old recipes with crispy dough and inner fillings. In the dough that made from white flour, ingredients such as cumin, hard-boiled eggs and onions are usually added together with beef, chicken or tripe. Authentic tucumanas are cooked in a clay oven and serve with local wine.