Pique Macho

Pique Macho is the most typical Bolivian dish (also called Pique a lo Macho). When I first arrived in Bolivia, I was told that it is the national dish of Bolivia, though Salteas is also considered to be the national dish.

Pique Macho is a colossal plate of beef, sausage, boiled eggs, french fries or potatoes, onions, and red and green peppers. The ingredients differ from one city to the next, as well as from one restaurant to the next, but one thing remains constant. After ordering this dish, you will not be hungry. The majority of the portions are large enough to feed at least two people.

There are two legends surrounding the creation of this dish. The first is related to the size of the serving. If you can finish one by yourself, you're a man. Don't even bother. Simply forward it to a friend.

According to the second legend, a group of hungry workers arrived late at night at a restaurant. The owner had already closed and informed them that she no longer had food. The workers, on the other hand, insisted on eating whatever she could make.

So the woman made a plate of "anything," added a lot of chillies to help with the workers' inebriation, and said, "piquen si son machos." That roughly translates to "eat if you're manly enough," and it became the name of the dish later on.

Chilies are mentioned in the second legend. They are an important component of pique a lo macho and can make the dish so spicy that I would be unable to eat it. When ordering, be sure to specify the level of spiciness you prefer. Picante means "hot" in Spanish, so if you want something mild, simply say "no picante" and they should understand.