Pan Amasado I'm going to miss you!

Pan = Bread
Chileans love bread
But more so a particular type of bread you can only find in places more "countryside" like called pan amasado.

When I first arrived, I couldn't figure out what the big deal was.  Granted I'm not a huge bread fan, but to me, bread is bread!  White.  Wheat.  Multi Grain....baguette, whatever, it's all kind of similar, no biggie.  There's tons of it here.  It makes you big and fat.  Who cares!

And then.....I ate a lot of bread.
I have eaten SO MUCH bread.
I'm afraid I've become a bit of an addict now.

The thing is, when you eat a lot of bread, just like when you eat any particular thing a lot, you become a little picky about it, you learn more about it, you try all the options and after that!  You start to have opinions...which types are better, where to find the best, which region makes the best...etc. etc. etc..

and that's when it hits you!
Pan Amasado is DAMN GOOD!!!!

What is Pan Amasado?
Homemade rolls (larger hamburger bun sized but with denser bread) slow baked over wood coals, usually found alongside fresh baked empanadas.

Where is it?
Driving along the country back roads of Chile, you'll find hand painted signs outside of little wooden shacks without doors, usually with little old grandma ladies peaking their heads out of a corner while working the giant black oven.

What does it taste like?
LOVE!
The closest I can compare it to is the flavor and texture of homemade biscuits....like the type you can find at KFC or Red Lobster, southern style love'n, but a billion times better!

I'm at the point where my mouth begins to water just seeing the word 'amasado'....
Ridiculous!

What does all of this perhaps mean?
Chile has finally gotten under my skin!
It's rustic homey flavors of wood smoked meat and smoked and dried spicey red chile powder - Merken, salads of tomato and onion with a sprinkling of olive oil and lemon....casseroles of meat and mashed corn with a hidden treat of hard boiled egg chunk and whole olive (with pit!) - pastel de choclo, all accompanied by a nice glass of Chilean red Carmenere.....

Damn you Chile and your exquisite simple down home cookin'
Your rustic simple flavors that at first seem too plain to be good, but win you over with time.

That's the thing about Chile....yeah there's a lot of annoyances, but just like pan amasado and Chilean men, somehow over time it gets to you and wins your heart.....(awww, shuck)

I'm going to miss it a lot!