| Type | Seafood |
|---|---|
| Course | Starter, Main |
| Place of origin | Chile |
| Region or state | Coast |
| Created by | Chilean |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Machas (aka pink clams),Parmesan cheese, white wine |
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Machas a la parmesana or “Parmesan machas” is a dish made with themacha. This is a saltwater clam, abivalve that is native toChile. It was harvested by ancient fishermen of these two countries. This bivalve is known scientifically asMesodesma donacium and in English is called either the pink clam,[1] or the surf clam.[2] The dish also includesParmesan cheese.
This classic of Chilean cuisine was created more than 50 years ago inViña del Mar by the Italian immigrants Edoardo Melotti Ferrari and Adelfo Garuti at the Italian restaurant San Marco. There is no previous record of the dish before the 1950s.[3]
The dish is popular along the coast of Chile, where themacha can be found in great numbers. It is prepared with the meat of themacha in one half of the shell, covered in Parmesan cheese, a little butter and seasoned withwhite wine or a drop of lemon, and then baked for a few minutes.
There are several variations of this dish: the same ingredients can be combined in anearthenwarepaila; the Parmesan can be replaced with the Chilean cheesequeso mantecoso; it can be prepared with cream added or with slicedgarlic added; and it can be made using other types ofclams rather thanmachas.[citation needed]
Media related toMachas a la parmesana at Wikimedia Commons
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