The World’s Largest Empanada Weighed 1,200 Pounds

I have two obsessions: food and ceramics. When I recently heard of a remote village of potters, my ears perked up. And when I learned that this very same village was famous for producing the largest empanada in the world, it was a done deal.

I hit the road for Pomaire, 41 miles west of Santiago, Chile. People here have been working with clay since the age of the Incas. The understated, ochre-colored ceramics typical of the region are found everywhere in Chile. But my mission today is to learn more about the other local specialty: a stuffed pastry that, I’m told, is absolutely enormous. It’s 3:30 PM, and the streets are empty—aside from a few stray cats, moving slowly under the intense heat of the sun. The main street is lined with restaurants and artisan shops.

Inside La Greda, which was empty after lunch. All photos by Charles-Henry Salmon.

We decide to stop into La Greda (which means “clay” in Spanish) towards the end of the lunch service. This is the place that’s behind the giant empanada project. They also serve other Chilean specialties—served atop their artisanal, local tableware—such as pastel de choclo, a kind of sweet corn polenta gratin that won’t leave you hungry. Eduardo Larrin, the owner, proudly brings out a few old photos and newspaper clippings from his archives, which tell the story of that famous day in 1995 when his restaurant made history.

In 1995, Eugenia next to the object of her pride: a 1,200 pound empanada.

They decided to create “the world’s largest empanada” to bring attention to the village. Why empanadas? “It’s Pomaire’s specialty, and we wanted to promote a local dish,” Eduardo says. “Here, every restaurant has their own recipe that they keep secret. Ours is the recipe of Eugenia Arenas, a cook who has been working with us for 30 years.” Valentina, an artisan who transports her handmade dishes up in the mountains down to her shop in the village, says: “It’s a national tradition, not just a local one. Chileans are fans of empanadas from the northern to the southern border.” They are particularly popular in this village, however, because traditionally, potters would bake empanadas in the same oven they used to fire their pottery.

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Eugenia Arenas, Chile’s empanada champion.

One week of work, 9 people, 550 pounds of onions, 155 pounds of beef, 99 pounds of chicken, 33 pounds of butter, 11 pounds of olives, 5 pounds of dried raisins,150 eggs and a custom oven: that’s what it took to produce the 1,200-pound empanada, which made its entry into the world in front of a crowd of onlookers, local officials, and members of the press. It never made it to the Guinness Book of World Records of the time, but the legend persists that this empanada is indeed the largest ever created, so much so that this historic day sparked a trend. Every restaurant in the neighborhood now thinks bigger is better, and flaunts their one- or two-pound creations in the windows.

It’s high time for a demonstration from Eugenia, who is preparing a 1-pound empanada. Smiling from ear to ear, the cook carefully places a first layer of the beef and onion stuffing atop a disc of dough. This is followed by half a hard-boiled egg, two olives, four raisins, and an entire drumstick of chicken (which the cook says “can be a bit of a surprise—some people get a broken a tooth”). She covers everything with another ladle of the stuffing.

Throughout the process, Eugenia employs a couple of family secrets that she refuses to share. She then folds the dough three times, Chilean style (which differs from Argentina’s version, with its pleated border). An egg wash is brushed on for color, and the empanada is popped into the oven for ten minutes at 180 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Almost there: we will soon get a taste.

Eugenia Arenas, l’empanada et Eduardo Larrin, le proprio.

My first realization: It’s definitely not finger food. You have to attack the beast with a knife and dunk large bites into the pebre, the homemade sauce made with ají chili peppers, making sure to steer clear of the chicken bones.

At the table: an empanada, pastel de choclo, and ají pebre.

The meat is juicy and the dough is thick—it’s a delicious mess. Even with two people working on one empanada, there’s plenty to go around. I taste a little cumin, possibly one of Eugenia’s family secrets. While it may not be the world’s largest empanada, it’s definitely one of the heftiest you’ll find in all of Latin America.