Empanadas

An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling, common in Southern European, Latin American, and the Philippines cultures. The name comes from the Galician verb empanar, and translates as "enbreaded", that is, wrapped or coated in bread.

Chilean empanadas are a staple part of the national cuisine. Many Chileans consider this to be their most representative dish. The most common type of Chilean empanada is what is referred to as the empanada de pino, it is a baked empanada filled with diced or ground beef sautéed with onions and spices, half of a hard boiled egg, an olive and raisins (although the latter is not liked by a sizable portion of the population). In the coastal regions of the country, seafood empanadas are also very popular.

The  tender, flaky crust surrounding a hearty mixture of warmly-spiced ground beef and vegetables  pastries one of Chilean favorite party foods, commonly consumed in large quantities during the country's national day celebrations.