Page 36 - March & April

34 MYROUSESEVERYDAY MARCH | APRIL 2013
C hile is in the Southern hemisphere, so our winter is their
summer (in January, that was only a difference of about 10
degrees). Packing was easy; I just threw in an extra sweater.
We took off from New Orleans and landed in the bustling city of
Santiago. Chile has 18 million people, and over 8.2 million live in
Santiago itself.
I meet with growers all over the world and this was my second
visit to Chile. Our winter grapes, stone fruit and blueberries are
all grown in Chile, along with Hass avocados. As Rouses Produce
Director, it’s important to me to see where the fruit we buy is
grown, how it’s grown, and how its packed and shipped.
During the first two days of the trip, I visited the peach, nectarine,
plum and plumcot orchards surrounding Santiago. On the third
day, I flew into Temuco and drove to the Southern Lake District
near Pucón to meet with our winter blueberry growers. Blueberries
are big business in Chile, and getting even bigger; over the past
three years, blueberry production has increased 400%.
For wine connoisseurs, the vineyards of the Maipo, about 30 miles
from the Santiago, are more than worth the trip along the winding
roads. I visited our grape growers in the Llay-Llay District about
150 miles north of the city. The family of growers we work with
has just invested $100 million in new
packaging and cooling facilities. It’s an
extraordinary operation.
Santiago sits in a valley between the Andes
and coastal mountains, and I drove to an
elevation of 3,000 feet to inspect the Hass
avocado trees. Chile has 65,000 acres
(130,000 hectres) of avocado trees, and the
ones near Santiago grow almost vertically on the mountainsides
and create a canopy that actually hides the roads from view.
While I was in Chile, I toured the USDA inspection station, which
is truly top-notch; every shipment is inspected. Later, I went to
Valparaiso, a very modern port, to watch produce containers load
onto the ship.
It wasn’t all business in Chile. Like us, Chile takes food very
seriously. There are a few faster food options, like lomo (thinly
sliced pork) and Barros Jarpa (ham and cheese) sandwiches, but in
Santiago, lunch can last at least two hours, dinner four.
Lunch and dinner both start with a Pisco Sour. The classic version
of this cocktail is a mixture of Pisco brandy, simple sugar, lime,
egg whites and Angostura bitters. Drinks are usually served with
a version of pebre (a tomatoey salsa), and homemade bread for
dipping.
I’m an adventurous traveler, and eater. I ate sea urchin served raw
in it’s own juice, sweet breads, morcilla (blood sausage), and corn
pie. Corn pie is like a potpie, but filled a whole piece of chicken
(including skin and bones), and topped with cornbread. One night
of the trip I had “mystery meat” that looked like a thin-cut pork
chop. When I asked what it was, I was told I had to try it first,
which I did. It was okay, nothing special, but who am I
to judge? I’d never eaten a cow’s milk sack before!
On the last night of my trip I had dinner prepared
by a “hidden chef,” who cooked in her home. This is
was one of the best meals of my life. The chef was a
contributor to the movie Julie & Julia, and the food
was incredible – pureed garbanzo beans, braised beef
and fried leeks. Delicioso!
Seven Days in Chileby JoeWatson, Produce Director
Mercado Central fish market
Mercado de Flores (flower market)
Costanera Center
Centro Gabriela Mistral
Museo de la Chilenidad
MUST SEE IN SANTIAGO