What is a Salteña and where to try it?

A salteña is Bolivia’s signature national snack, a distinctive baked empanada filled with a sweet, slightly spicy, thickened stew of beef or chicken, potatoes, and hard-boiled egg. Most people say the best place to eat them is at a dedicated salteñería, earlier, before noon.

Since the inside is basically a hot liquid broth, eating a salteña needs a particular technique; otherwise, you mess up your clothes. Locals start by biting off the top point and sipping the broth first, or they eat the whole thing standing straight up. They are baked fresh at dawn, and in practice, they are strictly treated as a mid-morning bite.