A salchipapa or salchipapas is a South American fast food dish commonly consumed as street food, typically consisting of thinly sliced pan-fried beef sausages and French fries, mixed together with a savory coleslaw on the side. The dish's name is a portmanteau of the Spanish wordssalchicha (sausage) and papa (potato). The dish is served with different sauces, such as ketchup and mustard, crema de aceituna (olive sauce), along with aji or chili peppers. Sometimes a fried egg or cheese is added on top; it can also be served with tomato and lettuce, and is occasionally garnished with oregano.
History
Salchipapa consumption has expanded beyond Peru, and its recipe adopted by various Latin American cuisines.
The salchipapa was invented as a street food in Lima, Peru.[A] Over the years, it expanded to other places in Peru.[2] In Latin America, the dish's popularity has expanded beyond Peruvian cuisine, and is now also typical of Colombian cuisine and Bolivian cuisine. The dish is also sold on Argentinian and Ecuadorian streets and markets.[3][4]
The range of the dish keeps expanding due to the Bolivian immigration in Argentina and the Colombian and Peruvian restaurants in the United States and Chile.[5] There is a variant known as choripapas (made with chorizo instead of sausage). They can also be found in Mexico.[6] It is also very similar to the Mexican-American street food known as carne asada fries.
Gallery
Some restaurants modify the salchipapa recipe to refine the traditional street food.
Salchipapa consumption remains strong in the urban sectors of Lima.
The salchipapas' high caloric content is a concern for advocates of public health.
