Completo facts for kids
A completo italiano
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| Place of origin | Chile |
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| Main ingredients | Bread, hot dog, tomato, avocado, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, salsa Americana |
| Variations | Multiple |
The completo is a super popular hot dog from Chile. It's much bigger than a regular hot dog you might know! It comes with lots of yummy toppings like chopped tomatoes, creamy avocado, and mayonnaise. Sometimes it also has sauerkraut or a special sauce called salsa Americana. It's called "completo" because it's "complete" with all these delicious ingredients!
Contents
How the Completo Started
Where it Came From
The completo first appeared in the 1920s in Santiago, Chile's capital city. It was served in places called fuentes de soda, which are like old-fashioned snack bars.
A man named Eduardo Bahamondes brought the idea to Chile. He had traveled to the United States and saw "hot dogs" there. He thought they were great and decided to bring them back home.
When he returned to Chile, Eduardo opened a restaurant called Quick Lunch Bahamondes. It was in the old part of Santiago. That's where he started serving hot dogs to the Chilean people, and soon the completo became a big hit!
What's in a Completo?
Completo hot dogs usually have some or all of these tasty toppings:
- Avocado: This is mashed up, but it's not like guacamole. Usually, only salt is added to the mashed avocado before it goes on the completo.
- Tomato: Fresh tomatoes are a favorite in Chile. They are often peeled before being chopped into small pieces for completos.
- Mayonnaise: Chileans love mayonnaise! They eat a lot of it, more than almost any other country. So, it's a very popular topping for completos. Often, the mayo used on completos is made right in the restaurant.
- Sauerkraut: This is shredded cabbage that has been fermented. It was brought to Chile by German immigrants a long time ago. Now, it's a common food in Chile and is often called chucrut.
- Salsa Americana: This is a type of relish. It's a finely chopped or blended mix of pickled vegetables. These often include pickles, pickled carrots, and pickled onions.
Different Kinds of Completos
There are many different kinds of completos, each with its own special name:
- Completo: This is the most traditional version. It has chopped tomatoes, a lot of mayonnaise, sauerkraut, and salsa americana. Sometimes people call it completo-completo to show it's the original.
- Completo Italiano or simply Italiano: This is one of the most popular types. It's topped with chopped tomatoes, mashed avocados, and mayonnaise. It gets its name because the colors of the toppings (red, green, white) look like the Italian flag.
- Dinámico ("Dynamic"): This completo is a mix of different toppings. It can have tomatoes, avocados, mayonnaise, and either sauerkraut or salsa Americana.
- Completo A lo Pobre ("Poor man's completo"): This one is made with fried onions, french fries, and a fried egg on top of the hot dog. The "poor man's" name comes from a traditional Chilean dish called bistec a lo pobre, which has similar ingredients and was a favorite among workers.
- Tomate mayo ("Tomato-mayo"): As the name suggests, this version only has chopped tomatoes and mayonnaise. It's simple but delicious!
See also
In Spanish: Completo (gastronomía) para niños
