Food & Cuisine in Bolivia
Bolivia's diverse geographical zones with their varied climate and cultures have a distinct impact on the local cuisine. The quality is distinct and good. Dishes are mainly meat based and are often slightly spicy. Local style restaurants and International restaurants are available in all main towns.
While the cuisine of Bolivia has little by way of variety, it sure makes up for it in taste!
Our Bolivia Restaurant Guide below tells you where you can find the best restaurants, as well as what the local food and cuisine in Bolivia is like. So after a busy day sightseeing or shopping in Bolivia, sit back and enjoy the great local Bolivia food and cuisine. You can also check out our La Paz restaurant guide and Salar de Uyuni restaurant guide for local restaurant and cuisine information.
Food & Cuisine in Bolivia
Bolivian food is unique, mildly spiced and tasty. Meat is the predominant ingredient but beef and chicken also figure prominently on the menu. The Bolivians also eat more pork than the Canadians and the Americans. Some restaurants serve the meat of llama, goat and guinea pig, locally called cuy. Bottled water is widely available. You can also choose from an array of drinks to quench your thirst.
Lunch is the most important meal for the Bolivians and most try to have lunch at home even on weekdays. The Bolivian lunch typically consist of a soup, the main course and dessert. Potato is a staple vegetable and is served with almost every meal, along with noodles and rice. For tourists who expect fajitas and chalupas, do remember that Bolivian cuisine is not as spicy as Mexican cuisine. It is relatively bland and those who want to spice up their food can use llajwa, a pungent sauce.
Things to know about Bolivian restaurants and cuisine
Local bars are not subject to restriction on working hours. There are many of them and their numbers are only increasing.
Typical food
There are many dishes that are unique to Bolivian cuisine. Some uniquly Bolivian dishes are:
Humitas is a delicacy where fresh corn and cheese are wrapped in corn leaves and then steamed.
There is the empanada which is a savoury pastry with fillings of onion, locoto, olives and cheese.
Chaque de Llama is a delicacy where llama meat is dried, fried and then served with eggs, stewed corn and cheese.
The reckless gourmand can try the fritanga or greasy fried pork. There are many reasons why this dish should be avoided. It is made from Bolivian pork which may be of questionable origin. It is greasy and fried which makes it very unhealthy. But it is delicious and that is reason enough to eat it!
National specialities
There are some more dishes which are national specialities.
There is salteňa which is a blend of chicken, diced meat, raisins, chives, diced potatoes, pepper and hot sauce baked in dough.
Another delicacy is the lomo montado in which tenderloin steak is topped with two fried eggs and served with fried banana and rice.
Picante de pollo is a dish where southern fried chicken and fried potatoes are served with rice and a tossed salad made with hot peppers.
Chuňo is a soup made with potato that is frozen and dried naturally and then cooked.
Lechón al horno is roasted suckling pig served with fried plantains and sweet potato.
National drinks
Among the uniquely Bolivian beverages is the chicha, a drink made from fermented cereals and corn. Chicha de Mani is a soft drink made from peanuts. The Huari brand of Bolivian beer from the Paceňa brewery is another favourite drink. Singani is a popular brandy made from fermented grapes. It is mixed in a variety of cocktails. The teetotaller may try tojori which is a thick hot drink made from mashed white corn. Though the Bolivian wine industry is in its fledgling stage, the Bolivian label La Concepción is quite well known around the world. The region's high altitude helps in growing grapes that are used to make excellent wines.
Legal drinking age: 18 years
Tipping
Do remember to add a tip of 10% -13% service charge on all Bolivia restaurant and hotel bills.
A note about street food
There are a number of street stalls which sell authentic Bolivian delicacies like empanadas and salteňas at very economical prices. Such street food is hot, authentic, tasty and cheap. But, at the end of the entire experience, tourists may end up with a bout of diarrhoea and other gastric infections.
Nightlife
There are many bars and nightclubs in La Paz which generally spring into action around midnight. Most other major cities of Bolivia too have a number of bars, discotheques and fine restaurants which serve cuisines from all parts of the world. A very popular way of spending a night out is to visit a Pena -a folk dance and music show, and follow it up with dinner. There are a few noteworthy restaurants in La Paz where the Pena is performed by reputed local artists and then rounded off with authentic Andean food. Local cultural centres also organise many events, performances and shows which are typically representative of Bolivian culture.
