Chile is Memphis in May’s honored country for 2009, which was officially announced today. I’ve been noodling around the web to learn a little about Chilean food–lots of fish–and was surprised to find out that one of my favorite summer drinks, the pisco sour, is as popular in Chile as it is in Peru.

I’ve never been to Chile, but hey, I’ve drunk the wine. If you know anything about the food or have recipes, share here. I was disappointed to find that Frommers.com says that the food is getting better, but that “for now it’s safe to say that you will not return from your trip raving about the country’s cuisine.” That said, it went on to talk about food that sounds pretty good. Lots of seafood, like I said, plus abundant fruit and vegetables, and street or cafe food like empanadas, sandwiches and so on. Something I just can’t imagine, though, is the custom of eating dinner as late as they do in Chile (and many other countries, most notably Spain): 9:30 or 10 p.m., even at home? There’s no tapas down Chile way, either. We don’t generally eat until 7:30 or 8 at home which I know is late for some people, but 10? Too late for me. I’m afraid I’d have way too many pisco sours by that time! Here’s a simple recipe:

2 oz pisco brandy
1 oz lime juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
1/2 egg white
1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake vigorously or put in a blender with a few ice cubes. You don’t have to use the egg white. Makes 1.