Arab cuisine

The first Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese families arrived in Chile between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when those territories were part of the Ottoman Empire; the passports they came with made them "turcos" to everyone else. They went into the fabric trade and made Patronato, in Recoleta, their neighborhood: first with workshops and shops, then with grocers, bakeries and restaurants cooking for their own community. Chile is home today to the largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world.

Over time that cuisine stopped belonging only to the community: Arab empanadas, kibbeh and vine leaves are sold at any street market in Santiago, and the walnut, honey and pistachio pastries have had regular customers for generations. Patronato remains the place to eat it in its fullest version, but it also appears in the community's clubs and in restaurants in Providencia and Las Condes.