Latin Dishes You Shouldn’t Miss Trying When Dating a Latina

Many will tell you that when you date Latin women, expect to eat A LOT. Latinos are known for their generosity and hospitality. When you are invited to their home, you would be served with dish after dish after dish. And refusing any food offered is considered rude. So you might as well skip your diet and take this opportunity to sample authentic Latin cuisine.

Since there are so many delicious foods, it can be hard to narrow down which dishes to try first. To help you decide, here’s a list of some of the most recommended dishes on the continent:

• Churrasco

Churrasco is a popular dish in Latin America which originally came from southern Brazil. It uses a variety of meat, pork, sausage and chicken, which may be cooked on a purpose-built "churrasqueira," a type of barbecue grill, often with supports for spits or skewers. This will definitely give your taste buds an exciting flavored experience and a meal to remember.

• Empanada

Empanada is a type of pastry that can either be baked or fried. The name comes from the Spanish verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanadas are made by folding dough over a stuffing, which may consist of meat, cheese, corn, or other ingredients.

• Tamales

Tamale is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa or dough which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. It is a Mexican specialty known across the globe. The wrapping is discarded before eating. Tamales can be filled with meat, cheese, fruits, vegetables, chilies or any type of filling.

• Feijoada

Traditional Brazilian feijoada is a pork or beef stew with black beans in it. It is commonly served with rice, vegetables and a variety of sausages. Chourico and Morcela are just two of the most popular sausage choices for this dish. A common side dish served with this recipe is farofa, which is made from toasted manioc flour. The dish is best paired with Brazil’s national cocktail, Caipirinha which is a mixture of brandy, ice, sugar and lime.

• Bandeja Paisa

This dish is served with a generous amount of a variety of food in a traditional bandeja paisa. It usually consists of red beans cooked with pork, white rice, carne molida (ground meat), chicharrón, fried egg, plantain (plátano maduro), chorizo, arepa, hogao sauce, black pudding(morcilla), avocado and lemon.

You could say that this is the Latin equivalent of a full English breakfast. It is so plentiful that it is usually served on a platter or a tray.

• Lomo Saltado

The preparation of this dish involves marinating sirloin strips in vinegar, soy sauce and spices, and stir frying them with red onions, parsley, tomatoes, and other ingredients. The use of both potatoes (which originated in Peru) and rice (which originated in Asia) as starches are typical of the cultural blending that the dish represents. Lomo saltado is prepared by women in Peru, either for ordinary meals or during special occasions.

• Cuban Sandwich

There is some dispute regarding where this dish originated. Some argue that it was first made in Florida while others say Cuba. Regardless of where it was actually made, there were definitely some Cubanos involved. The staple ingredients of this sandwich include ham, cheese, and Cuban bread. But what makes this standout is how flexible it is because you can add other ingredients to make it suit your taste. You and your date can experiment with which ingredients to include in your sandwiches.

• Ceviche

Considering that Latin America is surrounded by both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, it is no surprise that seafood is quite popular in the region. This seafood recipe is made up of different types of spices and fish all cured in either lemon or lime juice. This seafood meal first originated in Peru as far back as the Inca Empire.

Indeed, there are so many dishes to choose from that would make your mouth water. But if you have a hard time taking your pick, these are just some suggested dishes for when you are dating a Latina.