Marraqueta

The most common type of bread in Chilean cuisine is marraqueta. They're crusty and crunchy like French bread, hence the alternative name pan francés, and they're known for their distinctive shape and large-ish size, which allows them to be easily divided into four segments. It resembles four bread rolls rolled into one.

Marraqueta is a popular Chilean dish that is eaten on a daily basis. They're also known as pan batido (whipped bread) or pan francés (French bread), and they're frequently eaten for breakfast, with pebre salsa or mashed avocado, or as sandwich bread.

According to some historians, marraqueta may have originated in Valparaiso in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Thousands of European immigrants arrived in this major port city at the time, including two French baker brothers with the surname Teran-Marraquett. They created this bread, which quickly became a staple food in Chile.

Marraqueta is now a staple of Chilean cuisine and culture. Its significance is best exemplified by the popular saying, "Nació con la marraqueta bajo el brazo." Similar to having a "silver spoon in one's mouth," this means "to be born with a marraqueta under one's arm" and describes a child with a secure future.

Apart from Chile, marraqueta is popular in many other South American countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay. It is also available in Portugal, Mallorca, Hong Kong, and Macau.