If there’s one thing you can take away from Latin American cultures, it’s that food is everything. Cooking by its very nature shows how a culture works, what is important to them, what foods are available, gender roles, shared signs and symbols, and the formation of cultural identity and social cohesion.
What someone eats also gives us a snapshot of time and place, while giving us a look at how foods change and change throughout history. Latin American food, for example, offers a look at how cultures and flavors merge with history. Culinary traditions throughout the Caribbean and Central and South America are a testament to the biodiversity in the regions and also show the intertwined histories of Asian, African, indigenous and European cultural transmission.
Food is already the glue that holds Latin traditions together, and Fiestas Patrias, i.e. independence celebrations, are truly the expression of all that tastes good in any given country. Processions and street parties aside, Fiestas are a reason for families and friends to come together and celebrate not only their independence, but the food traditions that have been passed down through the generations.
Traditional indigenous cooking is a major influence on almost every Latin American dish. The mainstays—corn, beans, and squash (also known as the Three Sisters)—were grown together as a way for each plant to support the other: the corn serves as a backbone for the beans, the beans create nitrogen and strengthen the windbreak corn, and the squash prevents evaporation of soil moisture and improves crop survival in dry months. Like ingredients in Latin American cuisine, origin stories also have a symbiotic relationship where food and history meet.
Here, we’re breaking down the most common foods (and their unique variations) served throughout Latin American countries for Fiestas Patrias, along with their cultural contexts. Use this guide as inspiration for your own feast, or take a moment to connect with the dishes that shaped your experience.
Tamales
It’s no surprise that one of the most popular dishes in all of Latin America comes in the form of the tamale. Every country has some version of a steamed cornmeal “noodle” wrapped in either corn husks or banana leaves. Tamal comes from the Nahuatl word “tamalli”, and tamal dates back to 8000 CE; originally, it was a form of honoring the gods during specific phases of the moon, seasons, and spiritual celebrations. When the Spanish conquered, they introduced meat and lard-heavy foods to Latin America, and the influence spread to traditional foods that typically had no—or very little—animal ingredients. To this day, the tamale is an enduring representation of the fusion of European and indigenous gastronomy.
In Mexico, tamales are reserved for religious celebrations and usually contain minced meat or cheese with some type of salsa, while in countries like Peru, they are more of an everyday food and come in many different variations of meat and dough. “Tamales criollos” (Criollos were Spaniards who were born in the colonies) contain meat, eggs, olives, peanuts and aji (pepper) miraso or amarillo. And while not all countries prepare them specifically for Fiestas Patrias, those that do have preparations unique to their region.
Humitas
Humitas are another festive dish similar to tamales and are a favorite of Independence Day celebrations in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Bolivia. Like tamales, they also vary in preparation—some are held together with corn husks, while others use a banana leaf. The consistency of cornmeal can range from a tamale to a corn mash with basil.
RICE
Rice is a staple of Latin American cuisine and is the best example of how food connects Latinos to the rest of the world—Asians, Africans, and Europeans all brought rice to Latin America. There are also many types of indigenous wild rice. Enslaved people had a significant impact on New World rice cultivation as many came from regions that already grew rice and were familiar with how to grow it.
It would be a rare sight in Latin America to have any kind of celebration without rice, and for Fiestas Patrias, there are so many delicious rice variations. In Panama, they celebrate with arroz con pollo, which is usually rice with fried chicken and various vegetables, similar to Spanish paella. Arroz con pollo is a dish that every country and region has its own take on, and is another reminder of how food travels and is indicative of the long history of Moorish influence in España.
Arroz con gandules is a rice made with sofrito, pork and “pigeon peas” and is a staple of Puerto Rican and Dominican cuisines. Gandules, or “pigeon peas,” originated in India but were likely developed in Africa and then brought to the Caribbean during the colonial era.
lokro
Fiestas Patrias in Argentina usually include locro, a popular dish made from various cuts of pork, beans, squash, potatoes and corn, topped with a roasted salsa. The stew of Quichua origin – who called it “luqru” or “rucru” – varies slightly according to the tradition of each Argentine province, but in general, this is one of the many dishes in which the introduction of meat by the Spanish made it a unique post-colonial entry.
empanada
Empanadas are one of the most widespread dishes of the colonial era loved by the Spanish and Criollos, which eventually became part of the national cuisine of each country. Empanadas have their origins in Galicia (Spain) and Portugal. A Catalan cookbook published in 1520 mentions empanadas filled with seafood, as well as various fillings of Catalan, Italian, French and Arabic origin. Throughout Latin America and the Philippines, empanadas have become a staple and favorite dish for Fiestas Patrias.
Empanadas range from sweet to savory and can also be called pastelitos. No Dominican feast is complete without fried pastelitos filled with beef, onions and peppers, mixed with chopped hard-boiled eggs and raisins. In Chile, empanadas are a popular street food that are considered the national dish. They can be filled with anything from seafood to cheese, but the most typical Chilean empanada is filled with “pino,” which is a combination of ground meat, onions, olives, bell peppers, and hard-boiled eggs.
