Food for Independence
Daniel talks about the food and drink people consume on Independence Day in Chile.
Olga: How is Chilean Indepdence Day?
Daniel: Well, Chilean Independence Day, it's in September.
Olga: Yeah.
Daniel: September the eighteenth but we have another holiday on the nineteenth so we take those two days plus probably Saturday and Sunday of the same week.
Olga: What do you do?
Daniel: We have parties for pretty much the whole week and we do some special, kind of special shops and then you can eat empanadas. You know what empanada is?
Olga: I think so. Isn't it made, you know, with flour, you know, wheat flour and it's filled with something like corn or something?
Daniel: Yeah, exactly. Well, you have the pastry and then you can fill it with meat, onion, eggs or you can actually put olives in it and then you put it in the oven. It's really, really nice.
Olga: And do they sell sweet ones too?
Daniel: Yes, yes. Actually now we have even you can put vegetables in it.
Olga: Vegetables?
Daniel: Yeah.
Olga: Sweet?
Daniel: I mean sweets or vegetables.
Olga: Or vegetables.
Daniel: Or meat, chicken.
Olga: OK.
Daniel: Yes. And it always has to go with a drink that is called chicha.
Olga: What is chicha?
Daniel: Chicha is kind of wine.
Olga: Yeah.
Daniel: It's made out of grapes or apple and it takes awhile to get, to become, you know, alcohol so if you drink it at the beginning it's just juice.
Olga: Juice.
Daniel: Yes.
Olga: I see.
empanadas
We have special shops, and then you can eat empanadas.
'Empanadas' are a very common and traditional food in many Latin American countries. They are usually a pocket of bread which is has meat, potatoes, vegetables or fruit inside and then is cooked. Notice the following:
- In the morning, there are many people selling empanadas on the street.
- What is your favorite type of empanada?
filled with
You have wheat flour, and then it is filled with something
like corn.
If an empanada is 'filled with' meat, then the meat is inside of it. Notice the following:
- This pie is filled with blueberries, and that one has
pineapple.
- I really like ravioli filled with cheese.
pastry
You have the pastry, and then you can fill it with meat.
'Pastry' is a general word for a food that is made using a type of dough. Pastries can be sweet or savory. Notice the following:
- This bakery has the best pastries in town.
- I enjoy a nice pastry with my coffee.
sweets
I mean, sweets or vegetables.
'Sweets' are anything with a sweet flavor. You can also use the term 'sweets' to generally refer to candies, cookies, cakes and pies. Notice the following:
- Sweets are very important at this holiday.
- The only thing this store sells is sweets.
chicha
Chicha is a kind of wine.
'Chicha' is like a beer that is made from fermented fruits or vegetables. Notice the following:
- It is very common to have chicha with food at parties.
- In Peru, people drink purple chicha.
Vocabulary Quiz
sweets • chicha
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About the Teacher / Creator
Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
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