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In southern South America, including Chile, avocado is called palta. In Chile they also call "palta" the mixture they make that looks somewhat similar to guacamole, but the two mixtures are different. Avocado, in Chile, is mixed simply with lemon juice, salt, and salad oil. Guacamole is avocado mixed with garlic, tomato, a little jalapeno pepper, salt, and lime juice (though that can vary, a little). Palta and guacamole are not interchangeable in my opinion!

Chilean palta, all by itself on bread, is also delicioius, and is a common treat for the afternoon/evening onces.

I stumbled upon this blog earlier today. The descriptions of the Chilean sandwiches are making me even more eager for my return trip to Chile in July!

The Chacarero stand in Boston's Downtown Crossing is closed because of the construction, but they opened a large storefront on Province Street, about one block away. Also serves breakfast. Chacarero available in beef, chicken or veggie.

Careful, Zach; I don't call them "crackareros" for nothing.

I am all about the works! There is a great little place in Boston's Downtown Crossing called Chacarero, and go figure, they sell chacareros. There is a line down the street at lunch time and they are only open during the week. So good!

Guacamole with sour cream or cheese??? :-O Where would that be? I'm ready to accept that there's variation in guacamole recipes throughout Latin American (i.e., it's not just Mexican); adding dairy sounds extreme to me, but I'm happy to be corrected.

Guacamole to me always means avocado mashed up and combined with any or all of the following : salsa, sour cream, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, or pretty much anything else you can think of.

You're correct, linguistically speaking that "palta" == "avocado". My logic in applying the term is how much you add to the ripe fruit before it becomes something else.

In my wife's family, they usually do just eat it plain, no additives, just mashed avocado on their churrascos or bifsteak lo pobre (or pretty much everything but the brasso de reina). Sometimes, I can get away with adding a teaspoon of olive oil, a dash of salt, pepper, and lemon, and one dente (tooth) of garlic finely chopped, and they'll still call it "palta".

IIRC, I am not Chilean, I just live with a bunch of them; but do love the food, and am seriously envious of where you're at right now.

I love a Currasco! Or a barros luco, or a milanesa, or pastel de choclo...

But please, it's not guacamole, it's simply palta (avacado) with at most a little olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon, and garlic added. Palta is one of those things where it's simplicity pays off in spades. Where I feel guacamole is is somewhat constrained in it's usefulness as a condiment, palta goes on or with just about anything.

Also, if you can pry a good recipe for pebre out of someone down there, please post it!

I would be all over those, great pics.

Why not pair the dish from Piemonte with wine from the same region, especially since its celebrated reds would stand up to the intense flavor noted above? Bagna cauda is easiest to feast on when your guests are seated around a warm bowl or a couple of pots set on the table; it's a great way to bring everyone together and indeed, terrific party food.

Here's a few suggestions for complementary wines from one Italian site devoted to regional traditions: http://www.italianmade.com/recipes/recipe75.cfm

Mario Batali's own web site provides more information on Piemonte in general as well as a link to a more detailed survey of its wines:
http://www.mariobatali.com/exploreItalyDtl.cfm?rid=13