Completos
What is a completo, you ask? Well, it is the most beloved and eaten food in Chile. A completo to a Chilean is the equivalent of a hamburger to an American. You cannot walk a block in Santiago without seeing a completo stand or a fast food joint selling them. They come in many different flavors for all different kinds of tastes. Chileans eat them for lunch, dinner and as snacks. The most unusual thing about them is that you probably have already had something similar during your lifetime. You see, a completo is basically a hot dog on steroids. That description puts a completo in its most basic form, but a completo is so much more than just an ordinary hot dog.
All completos contain a bun and a hot dog, but that is where the similarities end with it North American cousin. From there Chileans pile on the toppings. The best way to describe it is to think of it like a pizza. The basic setup of a pizza is a dough, sauce, and cheese, but from there the imagination is allowed to run wild with other toppings. So just as Americans have taken the pizza to new tasty limits, so too have the Chileans with the completo. The most popular combination is called the Italiano. An Italiano completo is topped with avocado, tomato and mayonnaise. If that does not sound good to you, I am sure you will be able to find a combination that suits your tastes as Chileans will put just about anything on their completos. I have even seen completos with eggs on them. Completos make for a very good meal, or a quick bite to eat. So act like the locals and order up a couple of completos the next time you are hungry.