Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FOOD AND DRINK
You won't find much in the way of sophisticated cuisine in Bolivia, though options are
improving all the time. Moreover, in most places it's easy to get a decent and filling
meal, and there are some interesting national and local specialities. The style of food
varies considerably between Bolivia's three main geographical regions: the Altiplano,
the highland valleys and the tropical lowlands. Though the differences are fading, each
region has comidas típicas (traditional dishes), which include some of the highlights of
Bolivian cuisine.
Restaurants
All larger towns in Bolivia have a fair selection of
restaurants
(spelt the same way as in
English, without the extra “e” at the end used in most Spanish-speaking countries). Almost
all offer a set lunch, or
almuerzo
, consisting of a substantial soup (
sopa
) and a main course
(
segundo
), usually made up of rice, potatoes, some form of meat or chicken, and a little bit
of salad. Sometimes all this will be preceded by a small savoury appetizer and followed by
a sweet dessert. Coffee, teas or a soft drink may also be included. Usually costing between
Bs15-25, these set lunches are enormously filling and great value for money. Many restaur-
ants also offer a similarly economical set dinner (
cena
) in the evening. In addition, most have
a range of a la carte main dishes (
platos extras
) available throughout the day - these are usu-
ally substantial meat dishes like steak, and rarely cost more than Bs40. In smaller towns the
choice is much more limited, and often the simple set almuerzo and cena will be the only
meal on offer.
Ordinary restaurants rarely offer much in the way of
vegetarian food
; in out-of-the-way
places, vegetarians may find themselves eating rather a lot of egg-based dishes. The situation
changes a great deal in popular travellers' haunts, where international food is more and more
common, and salads and vegetarian dishes are widely available. Although as a landlocked
country Bolivia is obviously not the place to come for seafood,
fish
features regularly on
menus. Lago Titicaca produces an abundant harvest of succulent
trucha
(trout) and
pejerrey
(kingfish), while native fish are abundant in the rivers of the lowlands: the tastiest is the juicy
white fish known as
surubí
.
Most cities have at least one
Chinese restaurant
(or
chifa
), and
pizzerias
are also fairly
widespread.AlsoreliableareBolivia'scheapspit-roast
chicken restaurants
knownas
pollos
spiedo
,
pollos broaster
or
pollos a la brasa
.
Few restaurants open much before 8am for
breakfast
(
desayuno
) - Bolivians tend either to
make do with a hot drink and a bread roll or, if they want something more substantial, to head
to the market for soup or rice and meat. In touristy places, though, you'll find continental and
American breakfasts, along with fruit juices and travellers' favourites like banana pancakes.
