Annually, September 15th through October 15th marks National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States.
Initially, the observance began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson and only later was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover an entire 30-day period.
So why September 15th through October 15th? Coincidentally enough, there are numerous Independence Days from Latin America during the time period.
In fact, on September 15, 1821 Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all declared their independence from Spain.
While Mexico’s independence is celebrated on September 16th and Chile celebrates its independence on September 18th.
Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month
The goal of Hispanic Heritage Month is to celebrate the history and many unique cultures and contributions Latinos have made to our country.
And what better way to celebrate and show support for National Hispanic Heritage Month than by cooking up and serving friends and family some incredible Latin foods.
To make thing easy for you, we’ve listed our favorite dishes from each Latin American country below for your culinary convenience.
Argentina: Empanadas
An empanada is a pastry or turnover that’s filled with savory ingredients and served hot.
The name comes from the verb “empanar” meaning “to wrap or coat in bread or dough.”
Empanadas come baked or fried and shaped like triangles or half-moons.
Empanada recipes vary on the elegance or simplicity of the traditional Argentine dish, but the basic ingredients are always the same.
The basic ingredients combine three things: a dough, a filling, and a cooking method.
Perhaps the most important of the three is the empanada dough.
Popular empanada fillings include ground or minced beef, chicken, or even a ham-and-cheese combo.
You can also buy them filled with vegetables or fruit.
But beef-loving Argentina loves to boast the recipe as its own, and every province has its own recipe.
Bolivia: Salteñas
A salteña is the Bolivian form of an empanada and is quite popular regionally, well because it’s the country’s national dish!
Salteñas are savory pastries often filled with chicken, beef, pork, and even vegetables.
What sets this traditional Bolivian dish apart from the traditional empanada is its soupy stew-like filling.
The Salteña filling consists of beef, chicken, or pork as well as chopped vegetables mixed into a stew and combined with gelatin.
Adding gelatin allows for the ingredients to harden and marinate so that they can soften and melt in the oven without making the dough exterior soggy.
Serve it alongside Bolivia’s spicy sauce Llajwa also called Llajua and you’re all set.
Brazil: Acaraje
It’s a small Brazilian fritter made from black-eyed peas. The acaraje uses onions and ground dried shrimp to give it an extra punch in flavor.
They’re shaped into balls and deep-fried in boiling azeite dende also known as Brazilian palm oil.
The balls are then split in half and filled vatapa, a creamy paste made from finely ground peanuts, shrimp and coconut milk.
This popular Brazilian dish has a strong flavor, a pleasant sour tang that complements the beans’ sweet, earthy taste.
The best part is that you can buy and eat it no matter where you are in the streets of Bahia or the rest of Brazil.
Chile: Sopaipillas
Sopaipillas are usually served as dessert. However, you can also serve them as savory latin appetizers before a bigger meal.
A sopaipillas is essentially what you’d get if an American donut had a baby with a French beignet.
In essence, sopaipillas are nothing but fried dough.
They often have a crusty exterior enveloping a tender, hollow interior, which can be filled with different stuffings.
The Chileans like to make them mainly during winter, and especially on rainy days.
I’ve had the chance to sit back and eat them with a cup of tea while the rain was pelting my window — trust me, nothing feels more satisfying!
Colombia: Arepas
Arepas are one of the most famous Colombian foods known around the world.
These delicious savory treats start as dough made from corn.
This dough is pressed into patties and grilled to perfection.
There are a variety of ways to prepare and enjoy arepas.
One style you may find is a filling grilled inside, such as cheese or butter added before the arepa patty is shaped and pressed.
Alternatively, arepas can be grilled plain and then sliced after grilling.
At this point, a wide variety of ingredients can be stuffed inside.
You will commonly find different cheeses, meats, or even vegetarian options like avocado to choose from when ordering.
Costa Rica: Chifrijo
Chifrijo is a mishmash of pork rind, beans, white rice, salsa fresco, and tortilla chips.
It first became popular during the 90s at hole-in-the-wall bars and cafes.
The term chifrijo is a portmanteau of the Spanish words chicharrones (pork rind) and frijoles (beans), its two main ingredients.
Most Costa Ricans eat it as a snack along with a generous serving of tortilla chips, but it’s heavy and filling enough to be the main entrée as well.
Chifrijo variants can include extra meat, fish, cheese, and rice, but they should never lack beans and pork rind.
Otherwise, you simply can’t call them a chifrijo.
Cuba: Picadillo
Picadillo is a traditional Cuban dish that you can enjoy in a lot of Latin American countries.
The name “Picadillo” comes from the Spanish word “Picar”, which translates to “mince” or “chop”, describing the dish texture nicely.
It’s a relatively easy and popular dish because it’s incredibly versatile, as you can simply make it with just about any kind of meat.
The dish is also rich in flavor and usually contains a wide variety of ingredients, such as tomatoes, olives, raisins, and other ingredients that vary by region.
But more on that later.
Although the original Cuban recipe uses ground beef for the Picadillo, you can also use chicken, turkey, as well as fish like tilapia and tuna to prepare it.
Due to its versatility and ease of storage, the dish is usually prepared in large batches to meet various purposes.
Dominican Republic: La Bandera
La Bandera is the national dish of the Dominican Republic. The traditional Dominican dish consists of rice, red beans, and meat.
The literal Spanish to English translation for La Bandera is ‘The Flag.’
How does La Bandera represent the red, white, and blue of the Dominican flag?
- The meat represents the blue in the flag, which stands for liberty.
- As you may have guessed, the rice means white, which signifies salvation.
- The red beans represent the red or the blood of heroes.
Most often served for lunch or dinner, a salad and a side dish usually completes the meal.
Popular side dishes include;
- Pan de Coco is Dominican coconut bread.
- Yaniqueques are crispy Dominican fritters and are also called Johnny Cake Tortillas.
- Tostones are crispy twice-fried green plantains.
- Arepitas de Maiz is Dominican cornmeal fritters.
Ecuador: Llapingachos
Llapingachos are a traditional Ecuadorian dish made with potatoes, onions, cheese, and spices.
Boiled potatoes are mashed, shaped into patties, and stuffed with cheese.
Then, the patties are cooked on a griddle. These potato patties can be eaten at any time, with any meal.
You can add a fried egg on the top for a well-balanced breakfast.
Or you can eat them with sausages and some avocado slices on the side for a filling lunch.
Llapingachos are commonly served with a savory tomato-onion salad.
You can also put some aji on the side of your plate or drizzle it on top of the patties.
Aji is a spicy sauce that South American dishes can’t live without.
It’s made using the various strains of Peruvian aji chili peppers.
The most popular version is the one that includes fresh, creamy cheese in the center.
It’s often served with fried onions.
El Salvador: Pupusa
Pupusas is a stuffed, thick flatbread that originated in Central America.
Many people compare the thick, disc-shaped to pancakes.
They’re also referred to as closed-sided corn flour quesadillas due to the stuffing.
This yummy dish is the “National Dish of El Salvador” and is found throughout the region.
There’s even a whole day dedicated to the celebration of the dish.
Pupusas can be eaten for breakfast, dinner, or even a snack.
Many traditional Salvadoran dishes serve pupusas with a tomato sauce and tanning (salad) called curtido (slaw of spicy cabbage).
And the flavors go well with a variety of drink concoctions.
The bread of pupusas is made with corn masa flour, but sometimes rice flour is used instead.
Or a blend with the two flours.
Guatemala: Pepián
Pepian is a spicy stew and is a staple of Guatemalan cuisine. It mixes the country’s Mayan and Spanish heritage.
It is made with the meat of your choice, usually chicken in the classic stew.
However, you can use beef or pork as well. Pepian adds vegetables and spices to these meats to make a delectable treat.
It is usually served over rice with corn tortilla, but it can be enjoyed as a soup.
Pepian features prominently in many Guatemala ceremonies. The dish has become inseparable from Guatemalan culture.
The dish’s importance was made official when the government officially named pepian part of Guatemala’s national heritage in 2007 and it’s national dish.
Honduras: Plato Típico
Plato Típico is the national dish of Honduras and often consumed on the country’s day of independence, September 15.
While traditional Honduran dishes are typically a happy medium between very spicy and not spicy at all, Plato típico is a combination of ingredients that can satisfy all taste buds.
The dish contains a variety of ingredients that are each prepared separately and then combined to complete a full dish of the ingredients mentioned above as well as chismol.
Plato típico is best served with sour cream, avocado, tortillas, lime juice, and white cheese.
Mexico: Elote
Mexicans sure don’t serve basic corn; they add their incredibly diverse culinary skills to make a creamy, savory, and even spicy meal.
Elotes are a typical Mexican street food. You’ll see it everywhere in the streets of Mexico City, sold next to tacos on street carts.
The thing that amazes me the most about elotes is how they manage to pack that amount of flavorful notes.
The sweet, tender kernels are covered by the soft Mexican Crema.
A small layer of cotija (traditional Mexican cheese) is sprinkled on top as a light savory layer.
And finally, the chili powder on the outermost layer gives the ultimate explosive taste with every single bite.
Nicaragua: Gallo Pinto
While considered the national dish of both Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Gallo pinto is actually quite popular in many cuisines stemming from Central America.
A little-known fun fact, Gallo pinto is actually believed to have first originated from Nicaragua.
Gallo pinto is a Nicaraguan base dish consisting of rice and beans.
It is also simply referred to as Nicaraguan rice and beans or by itself, rice and beans.
In Spanish, Gallo pinto means “spotted rooster.” The traditional dish got its name from the appearance of the black beans next to the light color of the rice.
And be sure to ask for the Salsa Lizano.
Panama: Sancocho de Gallina Panameño
The famous sancocho de gallina panameño is Panama’s national dish and soup.
Sancocho de gallina panameño is the dish’s full name, however, it is more commonly referred to simply as sancocho.
There are actually a few variations of sancocho throughout Latin America, but the most popular variation comes from Panama.
Sancocho is stew or soup that can be enjoyed all mealtimes of the day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, or whenever preferred basically.
This delicious Panamanian food traditionally consists of chicken, yuca, corn on the cob or mazorca, onions, a large chunk of meat, and thickening as well as other optional ingredients.
White rice is typically served alongside the classic latin soup and according to the traditional way of eating it, should be eaten with each spoonful of soup.
Paraguay: Sopa Paraguaya
Sopa paraguaya is a culinary mistake-turned-national cuisine, originating in the 19th century when a president’s chef mistakenly added too much cornmeal to a soup recipe and made bread instead.
Sopa paraguaya is a kind of cornbread made with cheese and onions, usually served with soup.
It is the Paraguay national dish and has been served to foreign ambassadors as an example of Paraguayan tradition.
Unlike other cornbreads, it usually contains cheese and onions. Traditionally, the cheese used is queso paraguay, a soft white cheese made from the curd of cow’s milk.
However, you can also use similar cheeses, like mozzarella.
Sopa paraguaya is similar to chipa guazu, another popular Paraguayan dish made from corn.
Peru: Lomo Saltado
Lomo saltado is one of Peru’s most beloved foods and one that you are sure to enjoy.
Every Peruvian family has their own “secret recipe,” and most restaurants serve it year-round.
Lomo saltado translates to “stir-fried beef” and was created by Chinese cooks in Peru during the first half of the twentieth century and is one of Peru’s most popular chifa cuisine dishes.
Made with marinated strips of beer combined with vegetables and served with French fries or rice, lomo saltado is widespread throughout most of Latin America.
Preparing this dish at home is simple, but does take a little bit of time due to all the slicing and dicing you need to do to make it.
However, we think you will agree that the final product is worth the effort.
Puerto Rico: Bacalaitos
Bacalaitos are a traditional Puerto Rican snack made from breaded salted codfish. (The term Bacalaitos comes from the standard Spanish word bacalao, which translates to “salt cod” in English.)
Bacalaitos recipes use dry salted codfish that has been left in water overnight and then boiled to remove most of their salt.
The cod is then chopped or shredded, mixed with water and seasoned batter and fried.
Heavily seasoned, the batter typically contains a combination of annatto, baking powder, and black pepper.
It also contains coriander seeds, cumin, oregano, parsley, and sage.
Bacalaitos are chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Additionally, they resemble irregularly shaped, deep-fried pancakes.
They are wildly popular in Puerto Rico. And, carnival vendors, beach shacks, and kiosks sell them.
Spain: Tapas
The tapa, or small plate, is a craze that has taken the food industry by storm.
But in Spain, these snack-sized servings or canapés are part of the nation’s history.
Tapas dishes vary between regions and towns around the country, but you can always count on finding a selection of tapas when you enter a Spanish bar or restaurant.
Traditionally, buying a drink at a Spanish bar would get you a free tapa.
This practice is alive and well in parts of Madrid and Granada, but other areas tend to offer a tapas menu where each dish has its own price.
Some more popular tapas served are gambas al ajillo, chorizo al vino and ensaladilla rusa.
For a complete list, check out our article, Tapas: The 20 Best Tapas Dishes from Spain.
Uruguay: Chaja
Chaja, also commonly known as postre chaja, is a delicious Uruguayan layered meringue cake.
It contains two to three layers of sponge cake with a whipped cream spread in between and, sometimes, dulce de leche as well.
The cake is decorated with plenty of meringue and is traditionally served with peaches on top.
Why is this cake often referred to as postre chaja (chaja dessert or cake) instead of simply ‘chaja?’
Part of the reason for this is where the cake gets its name.
Chaja is also the name of a bird commonly found in Uruguay.
How did a cake end up being named after a bird?
These birds can appear very large, but their appearance is something of an illusion.
The cake is surprisingly satisfying without being heavy and has been a well-loved treat in Uruguay for nearly 100 years.
Venezuela: Cachapas
Cachapa is a traditional dish that is widely consumed in Venezuela and Colombia.
This tasty latin dish has become a worldwide favorite because it’s delicious and relatively easy to prepare.
These Venezuelan pancakes have a mouth-watering taste and unique texture that you will definitely enjoy and truly a Venezuelan dish you have to try.
Cachapa is also known as Arepa de Choclo and is simply made of ground corn and cheese.
In the past, people used stone pestles to grind corn and then cook the paste on flat griddles.
Today, people mix the ground corn with milk or cream and might add a little bit of water to make a thin, savory pancake.
It’s usually served with home-made fresh Venezuelan cheese or queso de mano.
A popular latin street food that is eaten at any time of the day.
Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebrating never tasted so good!
National Hispanic Heritage month offers an excellent opportunity to try many incredible latin foods.
What you’ll soon discover is while there are many commonalities shared by hispanics, each country has its own colorful history and rich culture.
Nothing better exemplifies this point more than their unique and tasty dishes.
Buen provecho and Happy National Hispanic Heritage month!
Read: Latin Beers: The Best Cervezas of Each Latin American Country
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.