German cuisine

The German colonization of the mid-19th century settled in the south —Valdivia, Osorno, Llanquihue—, but its cooking came up to Santiago with internal migration and with the families who settled in the capital. Kuchen, strudel and beer became part of the Chilean repertoire, to the point that the kuchen served at once (afternoon tea) is today as Chilean as it is German.

In Santiago the most visible mark is still the baking: cafés downtown, in Yungay and Barrio Italia serve kuchen, torta de mil hojas and Black Forest cake at teatime. The savory side —sausages, sauerkraut, pork knuckle, spätzle— appears in beer halls and community clubs, and German beer culture is at the root of the craft-beer scene that grew in the city.