Completo
Chilean hot dog with avocado, tomato, and mayonnaise.
The completo is a hot dog variation eaten in Chile, typically served with ingredients such as chopped tomatoes, avocados, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, ketchup, and mustard. It can be twice the size of an American hot dog. The dish is widely believed to have originated in the 1940s or 1950s in the soda fountains of central Santiago.
Quick Facts
- Country
- Chile
- Main Ingredient
- Bread, hot dog, tomato, avocado, mayonnaise, sauerkraut
- Variations
- Multiple
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The completo is thought to have first appeared in the 1940s or 1950s in the fuentes de soda of central Santiago. While various stories exist about its creation, the widely-known canon does not reliably document a specific inventor or a business trip to the United States. The dish likely evolved as vendors added local ingredients like tomato and avocado to the basic hot dog, eventually winning over the public.
Reader's Guide
The completo is a significant element of Chilean cuisine, reflecting adaptation of foreign foods to local tastes. Its variations, such as the Italiano (with tomato, avocado, and mayonnaise, named for the Italian flag colors) and the Dinámico, show regional creativity. The dish also incorporates sauerkraut, introduced by German immigrants in the 19th century, and mayonnaise, of which Chile is the third highest consumer per capita. The completo's legacy lies in its widespread popularity and its role as a customizable street food, with variants like the as (using chopped beef, chicken, or pork instead of sausage) and the Completo A lo Pobre (with fried onion, french fries, and a fried egg).
Did You Know?
- The name 'Italiano' comes from its resemblance to the colors of the Italian flag.
- Sauerkraut, known locally as chucrut, was introduced to Chile by German immigrants in the 19th century.
- Chile is the country with the third highest consumption of mayonnaise per capita on earth.
- Most food historians date the completo's invention to the 1940s or 1950s, not the 1920s.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Completo in Chilean cuisine?
A Completo is a Chilean hot dog that is roughly twice the size of a standard American hot dog, loaded with a signature stack of toppings. It is one of the most iconic street foods in the country.
What toppings go on a traditional Completo?
The classic build includes chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, ketchup, and mustard piled onto the sausage. The avocado-and-mayo combination is what most distinguishes it from a plain hot dog.
Where and when did the Completo originate?
The dish is widely traced back to the soda fountains of central Santiago during the 1940s or 1950s. No single inventor or restaurant is credited with creating it, so its exact origin remains uncertain.
How big is a Completo compared to a regular hot dog?
A typical Completo sausage is about twice the length of a standard American frankfurter, making it a considerably larger and more filling snack.
Why is the Completo considered important in Chilean food culture?
It serves as a beloved, affordable grab-and-go meal that has been a staple of Santiago street food for nearly a century. Its specific topping mix—especially the avocado and sauerkraut—has become a recognizable marker of Chilean identity.
More in Chilean cuisine 1-24
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