Our first trip to Pomaire was with our Chilean friend Ilonka, and she told us that as a child she and her family would catch a colectivo (taxi) to Pomaire to have a big Chilean lunch and pass the day shopping. Things haven't changed much since then, and Pomaire still serves as up a tiny slice of Chilean culture.
There are a number of different types of greda, or clay, that can be found in Chile, and you can tell where the pottery came from by the color of the dishes. The greda in Pomaire is similar to a brick red, while other towns boast greda that is grey or blonde.
Many typical Chilean dishes are cooked and served in these greda dishes, including pastel de choclo (a corn casserole) and pastel de jaiba (a crab, cream and cheese delight) -- not to mention that any self-respecting pebre (tomato, cilantro, chile salad) is always served in greda.From bowls to casserole dishes, piggy banks to planters, jewelry to vases, anything you can make from clay, Pomaire has it. Plus there are plenty of tienditas (little shops) selling membre (Chilean wicker) light fixtures and baskets, as well as hand-knitted scarves, sweaters and hats.
And even if you aren't super interested in buying anything to take home, there are tons of restaurants serving up very typical (and very tasty) Chilean food -- from lomo a lo pobre (a pile of french fries topped with a steak topped with fried eggs and finished with sautéed onions) to chauletas (pork chops) to pino empanadas (Chilean meet pie) to pure con merken (mashed potatoes with spicy merken), surtida salad (fresh green salad with corn, tomato, peas, beets, avocado and more) to casuela (amazingly fresh veggie and meat soup).
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Mi Ranchito Restaurant, our favorite for the food and the play park |
So if you find yourself looking for something to do on a weekend not too far from Santiago or needing to cure a shopping fix or just craving a good lunch in clean air, Pomaire is a great short day trip from the city.
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