Breakfast in La Paz

Bolivia has a lot of food, so we´ll start this post with breakfasts. One of the first things you should try is the Marraqueta. It is a piece of bread made as a small version of the rod; yet it tastes very different. If you have it fresh in the morning, it is crunchy, and this kinda adds something to the experience.

The best way to try this bread is at a local market. It is wise to have one of those with Api, a local beverage made with corn. The best Api is made of a purple corn. It may look weird the first time, but you won´t get this taste anywhere else, so don´t hesitate. Most bolivians will have their Marraqueta with coffee, but coffee is not so good in local markets so, I don´t advise it; but feel free to not follow the tips.

Some bolivianos will have their Api with a cheese fried patty; that is a good choice too, but don´t miss the Marraqueta. Another good choice for a morning is a guacamole sandwich with a glass of fresh juice. For this particular choice you should go to Mercado Camacho where you will get a guacamole sandwhich made with marraqueta and a wide variety of juices, the most popular is the Supervitamínico, a combination of anything these people can get their hands on, literally: celery, carrots, apples, oranges, basil, pineapple, anything.

The best guacamole sandwich is in the market of Obrajes, a bit far from downtown. You could have Api in the Camacho Market, also very close to San Francisco in the Lanza Market, or at Api Happy, great place for local fast food!!

Salteñas

If you are travelling through Bolivia and you are too careful about the sanitation of your food, you may end up eating burger king all your journey, so, what is the point, right?

Bolivia, as pretty much all countries, can be known by walking through the local markets, and eating what people eat. Have some patience, you may be sick, but you´re not gonna die. So, as a first post, I´ll describe one of Bolivia´s best snacks, and one of the most unique snacks in South America: Salteñas. I´ll talk mostly about La Paz, since I live there, but I´ll eventually talk about other locations.

What is a Salteña?

Salteñas are some kind of patty. You can only have them during the morning; not really sure why, it´s probably just a dumb costume. La Paz, has the best ones even though it is been said that they are originally from Potosí. As far as the story goes, Salteñas were made in Potosí some centuries ago by a woman from Salta (hence the name). The one thing that makes Salteñas different from any other patty, is that it is juicy, so you should be careful when eating one.

Salteñas contain some sort of stew with onions, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. The most popular Salteña is made of beef, but you can find also Salteñas made of chicken, pork, cheesse and for vegetarians. Depending on the cook, it can be spicy or very spicy.

If you are in La Paz, try these places: El Hornito (the best place; try the vegetarian or the one with cheese), Paceña (good) or Chuquisaqueña (the ones with fricasé or mondongo are unique) in Avaroa square; if you are in Cochabamba, there are better things to eat, but Sucremanta can be a good choice. If you are in Santa Cruz, don´t eat Salteñas, you´ll get a bad impression. Bye, have a nice meal.