Staples

South America, stretching from Venezuela down to Chile's Cape Horn, is a vast continent with contrasting landscape, climate, peoples and culture, all of which influence the local cuisine.

While you can't generalise about the food continent-wide there are some similarities and key ingredients that lend a recognisable Latin American flavour, evolved over centuries from the indigenous food modified by waves of colonialists and immigrants.

Traditionally maize has always grown in the west as it is drier, providing a staple from which Corn bread, empanadas, tamales and arepas are made - these breads, doughs and cakes are stuffed with meat, cheese or bean fillings. Over on the east coast, the root crop manioc (cassava) makes up the basis of the diet, from which breads, toasted flours and porridges are made.

Beans are the one native ingredient that can be found in every single South American country and every type is eaten; black, brown, speckled, red and white.

The north

The northern coastal areas enjoy the exotic flavour of tropical fruits, palm heart and coconut, whereas the central Andean spine was where potatoes popped up - of which there are allegedly about 4000 varieties. Papas a la Huancaína is considered a national dish in both Peru and Bolivia - slow-boil the taties, cover with cheese and finish off with a little chilli.

The south

Head south and meat takes over where the Pampas region is ideal grazing land for beef introduced by the Spanish and Portuguese. From this the famed South American barbecue was born, known as 'churrasco' in Brazil and 'asado' in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. Argentinian chimichurri is the ultimate steak sauce made with olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, vinegar and garlic.

The Spanish and Portuguese also brought chicken, pork, dairy products, olives, rice and sugar. From this old world and new world collision, key flavours and ingredients emerged that are now quintessentially South American.