A traditional Chilean dish, Pastel de Jaiba is a crab casserole with cheese that comes originally from the capital, Santiago de Chile. Just like Francisco Javier de la Parra, head of La Tía Rica in Berlin.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
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Video: Cooking step-by-step, Pastel de Jaiba, Chile
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Francisco Javier de la Parra: "Chile was too small for me."
Even as a child, Francisco Javier de la Parra knew that he would leave Chile to travel the world. De la Parra is a man of action, so in 1981, he left for Munich. The 19-year-old wanted to study at a hospitality trade school in Germany. It would have been difficult to study such a trade in his home country. He trained as a cook and a hospitality specialist and - as the son of an Italian mother and a Chilean father - took over an Italian restaurant. However, Munich grew to be too small for him, and he and his family moved back to Santiago de Chile. But he just couldn't sit still - he had to keep moving. In 2012, he realized his dream and opened his own Chilean restaurant in the German capital.
Francisco Javier de la ParraImage: Lena Ganssmann
La Táa Rica in Berlin's Charlottenburg district
Before the opening of La Tía Rica, there was no Chilean restaurant in the German capital. Chilean cuisine is also generally unknown in Germany. Francisco Javier de la Parra and his daughter, Bianca, aim to change that: he as the chef and she as the host.
Crab soufflé with cheese -- from Chile
05:35
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Pastel de Jaiba
Serves 4
Ingredients:
600 g fresh crabmeat (jaiba)
10 slices of white bread without crust
6 garlic cloves
4 large onions
400 ml milk
2 t merquén (smoked chili)
2 t cumin
2 T paprika powder
2 T oregano
200 ml white wine (Chardonnay)
250 ml fish stock
2 T butter
100 g grated parmesan cheese
Cream
Preparation:
Pour milk into bowl and soak bread in milk. Allow to soften for 30 minutes, then purée with a hand mixer. Peel and dice garlic and onions. Heat sunflower seed oil in a pot and sauté garlic and onions until transparent. Then add paprika powder, cumin, and oregano. Stir in crabmeat, mix thoroughly, and deglaze with 100 ml of Chardonnay. Add fish stock and butter, stir at medium heat, and allow to simmer for several minutes.
Add milk and bread mixture, and briefly bring to a boil. Add a splash of cream, if desired. Season with salt, pepper, and merquén, add half of parmesan cheese, mix thoroughly, and simmer for an additional ten minutes.
Ladle crabmeat cream into terracotta bowls and cover with parmesan cheese. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place terracotta bowls in oven and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese melts. Serve with bread.
La Tía Rica prepares Pastel de Jaiba
A traditional Chilean dish, Pastel de Jaiba is a crab casserole with cheese that comes originally from the capital, Santiago de Chile. Just like Francisco Javier de la Parra, head of La Tía Rica in Berlin.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
Dad, daughter and a wealthy aunt
"La tía rica means rich aunt. Tía = aunt, rica = rich. In Chile, that's a pseudonym for when you unexpectedly get money and in using it, we're referring to a pawn shop in Santiago de Chile. If someone there asks why you have money, then you say, I was at la tía rica, at my rich aunt's." - Bianca de la Parra
Image: Lena Ganssmann
Chile in Charlottenburg
La Tía Rica has been in western Berlin since 2012. The menu is seasonal, just like Chilean cuisine, but Francisco Javier de la Parra likes to invent new recipes. It's not just the food that's authentic - the father and daughter team set up the restaurant in a way that you might also find it in Chile.
Image: Latiarica/Frederik Wallenholm
A class of its own
The tablecloths were handmade in Germany according to originals provided by the de la Parras. A lot of the other accessories they brought with them from Chile. Before Francisco Javier de la Parra opened his restaurant, he asked the German-Chilean Chamber of Commerce how many Chilean restaurants already existed in Berlin. The answer? "None!" That only made him more confident to open La Tia Rica.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
A bit of assistance with the menu and wine menu
"At the opening, I had three women who hadn't even looked in the menu there. They said, we want three chili con carne and three margaritas. I had to tell them, we don't eat chili con carne or drink margaritas in Chile. We have, however, Pisco sour, which is much better. There's a lot to be explained here: what is Chile, where is Chile, what we eat there, who we are." - Bianca de la Parra
Image: Latiarica/Frederik Wallenholm
Chilean deli
Chile, in the southwest of South America, has a more than 4,000 kilometer-long coastline. The cuisine is heavily influenced by the sea and reflects the different climatic regions. The dish here, a crab casserole baked in cheese, is a traditional one and is eaten the whole year through in Chile. In Germany, however, it's more of a summer dish.
Image: Lena Ganssmann
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Restaurant La Tía Rica
Knesebeckstraße 92
10623 Berlin
