What to eat and drink in Bolivia

17.12.2024 - 16:21 / lonelyplanet.com

Dec 16, 2024 • 14 min read

Ever had a llama tenderloin? Here’s your chance, maybe with a glass of Tarija wine. Bolivia's food is as diverse as its population and you'll find new delicacies to sample in every town.

Markets are a good place to start, though the steaming pots of unfamiliar concoctions might test virgin tastebuds. Freshly-blended fruit juices will no doubt become a daily habit, while high-altitude Yungas coffee is now available in a number of new cafes popping up around Bolivia.

The restaurant scene is thriving in Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and – more than anywhere else – La Paz where you can sample contemporary takes on traditional drinks and dishes. No matter where you find yourself – be it the tropics or the high Andes – you’re bound to find colorful street snacks and elaborate meals making good use of Bolivia’s vast larder. Here's a guide to some of Bolivia’s best food experiences.

Picante de pollo, which loosely translates in English as spicy chicken, is a delicious dish whipped up with a spicy sauce. 

Sometimes, the chicken is breaded and fried or served as a grilled piece of chicken in a pool of sauce. The meat is usually accompanied by starchy vegetables, with peeled, diced potatoes being the most popular. 

Where to try it: You can enjoy picante de pollo at many small, family-owned restaurants serving traditional Bolivian food in La Paz. 

Mondongo is ubiquitous across South America,  the Caribbean, and even parts of the Philippines. However, what most people think of as Mondongo in other countries is more of a thick corn-based stew, like Colombia’s famous dish, while Bolivia’s dish Mondongo Chuquisaqueno really only shares the name Mondongo with these recipes. 

Bolivia’s Mondongo Chuquisaqueno is not a stew or a soup, but rather a dish made of pork loin and other additives. The dish is popular in Sucre, Bolivia’s constitutional capital, and is usually eaten on holidays like the Day of the Dead.

The plate, in addition to chicken soaking in a sweet paprika sauce, also usually contains potatoes and a local dish called mote. Much like the word mondongo is ubiquitous across South America, mote is another dish with a shared name but differs significantly between cultures. In Bolivia, mote is usually made from corn or sometimes fava beans cooked in their own husk, differentiating them from husked grain called pelado. 

Where to try it: Mondongo Chuquisaqueno at Rolo’s Resturaunte in Sucre. 

Locro de gallina loosely translates as “hen soup.” The main reason for this distinction is that pollo typically refers to young chickens of either gender, while gallina (female) and gallos (male) refer to older, mature chickens.

Because gallinas or hens are typically older, the meat is usually tougher. Thus, young