Hold the mayo (if you can)

In Chile, mayonnaise is not just a condiment, it is an integral part of the local diet.  Expect to see the better part of an aisle dedicated to it at the supermarket.  Don’t be surprised if it matches or even exceeds the volume of avocado and sauerkraut on your lomito sandwich.

In Chile, you can buy mayonnaise in jars and envelopes, local and imported, regular and diet. You can buy it flavored with (or perhaps like) olive oil, cheese, garlic, and strangely, milk.

Chilean mayonnaise has a different look and feel than American mayonnaise.  It’s decidedly yellow, and less viscous but somehow thicker.  I find it has a stronger flavor and doesn’t go down quite as easily as the stuff from home.  Fortunately the stuff from home has arrived: it’s sold in jars, rather than envelopes, and is billed as “premium”.  If you want the mayo you’re used to, stick to the brands you know.  On the other hand, an especially good or especially rustic restaurant will make its own mayo, which beats anything you can get in the store.

Be on the lookout for unexpected quantities of mayonnaise in these places and situations:

• Covering just about anything called ensalada at a barbecue.  With papas mayo (“mayonnaise potatoes”) you’re warned, but the corn and the carrots are also fair game
• As a major, sometimes even the only, topping on white-bread canapés
• Decorating your appetizer at a Chilean tourist restaurant