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Culture
Culture & Tradition
Culture
Culture
Culture
The Urkupiña Festival in Quillacollo, Cochabamba is a colourful spectacle that you’ll definitely be glad you experienced. Paying homage to the Virgin Mary, this religious and cultural festival features traditional rituals, parades and parties. Held every year from August 14-18, enjoy the traditional music, dances and costumes of this lively event.
The 16th century Casa de la Moneda in Potosi was created to process all the silver extracted from the Cerro Rico mountain before shipping it back to Spain. Now known as the National Mint of Bolivia, learn all about the old technologies involved in this process, as well as the stories behind its extensive collection of coins, machines and dioramas.
From ancient Andean empires to the Spanish colonial era, Bolivia is bursting with history and culture. Learn about traditional textiles to religious art and everything in between at some of the country’s greatest museums. Here are five museums we think you should check out in Bolivia.
Something like a cross between an English pasty and an Italian calzone, salteñas are Bolivia’s answer to empanadas. A popular snack originating in the Andean part of Bolivia, salteñas are usually filled with meat, vegetables, egg, olives and a spicy sauce, which is all wrapped up in a delicious pastry.
Best eaten at
Paceña La Salteña, Loayza 233, La Paz
Hailing from the country’s west, sajta is a traditional Bolivian dish usually eaten on All Saints' Day and during Carnival. Sajta consists of seasoned boiled chicken served with rice, potato, freeze-dried Andean potatoes, as well as sarsa, the typical Bolivian onion and tomato garnish. Tuck into some sajta at Luciernagas Restaurant in La Paz.
Best eaten at
Luciernagas Restaurant, Avenida Illimani 1683, La Paz
Similar to salteñas, tucumanas are stuffed pastries filled with meat and vegetables. However, instead of being oven-baked, tucumanas are deep-fried. A quintessential Bolivian breakfast, these delicious pastries are often served with a variety of colourful sauces. Dip your tucumana into a different sauce for a different flavour with every bite. And don’t worry, double-dipping is a thing here.
Best eaten at
Condor Cafe, Calle Calvo 102, Corner Bolivar, Sucre
A national staple, silpancho is the ultimate in Bolivian comfort food. Hailing from the Cochabamba region, silpancho consists of crumbed beef served on top of a bed of sliced potatoes, with a fresh salsa of tomatoes, onions and spicy sauce. Topped with a fried egg, you can pick up a silpancho at Calle Federico Zuazo in La Paz.
Best eaten at
Calle Federico Zuazo 1905 Batallon Colorados, La Paz
Looking for the perfect late-night snack? Chicharrón is what you need in your life. These heavily salted chunks of beef, chicken or pork are deep fried and served with choclo, a type of local corn. Served straight from the deep fryer and dripping in fat, you can pick these up at from street vendors in La Paz or Sucre.
Best eaten at
Street markets in La Paz or Sucre
With its love of meat, potatoes and deep-frying, Bolivian food is hearty and delicious. From salteñas to silpancho, you’ll want to try every national dish this South American nation has to offer. Here are our picks for the top five foods to tuck into in Bolivia.
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