Wherever I stopped in South America, I could be confident to find one stable thing. More stable than governments, cultures and languages were the "empanadas," a turnover-like pastry that is consumed as a snack at all hours. Well, almost stable. The slight variations accounted for different ingredients and tastes; in some places it was hot and spicy while in others, chillies were considered a barbarian taste.
There are two methods of preparation, in the oven and fried. In Argentina the first are called "al horno" and the second are "fritas." The filling is usually of beef or ham and cheese, though variations exist with eggs, olives, chicken and vegetables. The name refers to the preparation method and has nothing to do with the filling, the last must be inquired. In nearby Chile, the empanadas are similar, though much bigger. There, a "pino" is an empanada filled with onions, an olive and half an egg. Paraguay adds to the list an "empanada de mandioca," (manioc).
However, the richest variations of this humble snack are in Bolivia, where it seems difficult to walk more than a block or two without finding one of its variants. The only version called empanada is a small, triangular or square turnover filled with cheese and sold at the stalls selling candies and sodas; it is eaten cold. The "Kukakapas" is very similar, but it is round in shape, served hot and it is stuffed with cheese and "aji," a paste prepared of chillies; it is not sold in the streets but it can be found in restaurants and fast food joints. During the mornings a giant empanada called "llaucha" (ee-aa-oo-cha) is sold by women carrying them in big baskets covered with a cloth to keep them warm. Within the monster is a strange mix of soft white cheese molten in water; it looks worse than it can be probably described in a non-rated site.
Until now everything made sense; it was just a matter of memorizing new names and tastes. But when I entered Bolivia for the first time – from Argentina – I was confused when I heard people talk about "Salteñas" and "Tucumanas." Technically, Salta and Tucuman are Argentinean provinces. For some strange reason, no Bolivian had managed to explain why they use the adjectives derived from those names to nickname the most popular empanadas in their repertoire. Eaten at all hours, the tucumana is the fried version, while the salteña is prepared in an oven. Shaped as a rugby ball they are more complex than any other item in this list. Eaten hot, they are stuffed mainly with a mix of beef (or chicken or egg), potatoes, onions and sometimes even olives, carrots, peas and other vegetables. All of them are peacefully swimming in a rich and spicy broth; care should be used while eating them so that the liquids won’t spill out and spoil clean clothes. Next to them are salads and sauces; by far, the most popular are the peanuts sauce and the "llajua" (ee-aa-hoo-aa) a fiercely hot, watery liquid prepared of a local variety of chilli.
Cochabamba is widely considered to be the home to the best empanadas in Bolivia and snacks joint selling "Empanadas Cochabambinas" can be spotted in all the major Bolivian cities.