Bakery Stall · Baked Beef Pastry

Empanada de Pino

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A proper empanada de pino always hides a slice of hard-boiled egg, an olive, and a few raisins inside — Chileans consider one without them incomplete.

Empanada de pino is a hand-sized pastry sealed with a signature crimped edge (repulgue), baked until golden, and filled with pino — a slow-cooked mix of chopped beef, onion, cumin, and paprika — plus a slice of hard-boiled egg, an olive, and raisins. Bakeries and street stalls sell them hot, wrapped in paper for eating on the go.

Why it's made this way: The crimped seal isn't just decorative — it's how bakers keep the juicy pino filling from leaking out during baking, and the pattern varies just enough between bakers that regulars claim they can spot a favorite empanada by its edge alone.