During your trip to Bolivia, you may notice one familiar global symbol conspicuously missing from the cultural and physical landscape: The Golden Arches. McDonald’s met its match in Bolivia, and since officially giving them the boot in 2002, Bolivians have never looked back.

Even though Bolivia is the only country in Latin America sans Mickey D’s, it is actually one of nine countries with this unique title. However, unlike countries like Iran and North Korea, where the government has overtly banned the fast-food company, or Zimbabwe, where a local economic collapse convinced McDonald’s to pull-out their investment, Bolivia welcomed them in only to unofficially reject them five years later via lack of sales.

What exactly happened, and what were the specific factors that made McDonald’s lose enough money to pull out of the “Tibet of the Americas?” Despite extensive research into the Bolivian market, in the end, McDonald’s couldn’t jive with Bolivian culture, politics, and coveted regional food.

Bolivian Culture vs. McDonald’s

Bolivia remains one of the proudest nations in Latin America because Bolivians are proud of their plurinational identity and cultural diversity. Cultural rejection of fast-food, and foreign investments in general, stem from this national pride and sentiment.

Also, Bolivia’s food culture values each dish by the love and care that goes into preparing it. Food is considered sacred, something connected to family, friends, and providing a palpable nostalgic atmosphere. How could McDonald’s compete with these ideals?

Bolivian Politics vs. McDonald’s

“The fast-food of the west is doing a great deal of harm to humankind.” – Former Bolivian President Evo Morales 2013

Morales’ post-neoliberal rhetoric started coming into play even before he was elected president in 2006. When McDonald’s came onto the Bolivian scene in 1997, global enterprises were already beginning to be seen as the biggest instigators of rising national poverty levels.

In 1997, 63% of the Bolivian population lived in poverty conditions and 38% in extreme poverty. By 2002 when McDonald’s pulled out, those numbers rose to 65% and 40%, respectively. Evo gained tremendous popularity in the time leading up to his presidency because he saw the link between corporate globalization and the poverty plaguing his country and acted on it during his presidency; he actually banned Coca Cola from Bolivia in 2012.

Bolivian Regional Food vs. McDonald’s

Considering the already strong cultural and political bias against global enterprises and the fast-food industry, the final nail in McDonald’s coffin came down to price compared to local restaurants and dishes. McDonald’s tried to keep up with their version of local specialties like llajua (a Bolivian hot sauce) and the ever-popular salteña (the Bolivian empanada); however, they couldn’t sustain the production due to lack of sales.

After all, in Bolivia at that time, you could get a complete meal with some sort of meat, potatoes, rice, and a drink, all for about $2-3 USD, whereas a combo meal at McDonald’s was going for $4-5 USD. Local burger chains also started to crop up, offering that regional feel in their fast-food recipes while keeping to the regional prices. Some of those chains, like Che Burgers in La Paz, are still going strong.

So, what’s the main takeaway from McDonald’s harrowing tale of profitless franchises? When in Bolivia, try a salteña and fall in love with the vibrant regional cuisine!

Travelers who have already ventured to Peru can most likely vouch for the country’s impressive culinary prowess, but what of Peru’s immediate neighbor to the south? Bolivian cuisine, although yet to capture international attention, is equally rich in history, flavor, and tradition. Many popular Bolivian dishes share a number of ingredients and history with other South American foods, a great example being the ubiquitous empanada. Two uniquely Bolivian empanadas worth tasting at least once during your personalized trip to Bolivia are the salteña and the llaucha!

The Salteña

This hearty empanada can either complete a classic Bolivian breakfast, or serve as the perfect midday snack. Traditionally made with slightly sweet pastry and savory filling of minced meat or chicken, olives, peppers, onions, raisins, egg, potatoes, peas, carrots, and plenty of gravy, the salteña doesn’t disappoint.

Not unlike other quintessential foods across the world, salteñas are the result of cultural exchange, and in this case between Argentina and Bolivia. In true folklore fashion, there are a couple different versions of the salteña origin story, but one of the most widely accepted versions credits Salta-born feminist and journalist Juana Manuela Gorriti, who was exiled to Bolivia with her family in 1831. The tale mentions how local children in particular went crazy for her empanadas, and would flock to the “salteña” (woman from Salta) for her special recipe. The rest, as they say, is (Bolivian) history.

Nowadays, Bolivians across the country pride themselves in taking on this potentially messy pastry, while never spilling a drop of precious gravy inside. As soon as you taste the unmistakable hints of cumin and oregano married with the other carefully chosen ingredients, you might also feel compelled to take special care not wasting a single morsel.

The Llaucha (and Api)

Simply put, llauchas are cheese empanadas (from the original Aymara llauch’itas, which means the bringing together of bread and cheese). However what makes them particularly coveted in the city of La Paz, are the authentic family recipes that have been passed down for generations. One such baker who works to protect the llaucha’s integrity is Doña Petrona, who has not changed her recipe for forty years. You could say that she sells a bit of nostalgia along with her llauchas in the San Pedro district of La Paz.

What makes the traditional llaucha of La Paz is the molten cheese and broth filling, along with the painted aji amarillo (yellow chili pepper) dough that gives the empanada a golden hue as it slides off the bread stone, and out of the woodfired oven. Some bakers will also add ulupica (a type of hot pepper found in the Andean regions of Bolivia and Peru) directly to the filling, giving it an extra bite, while others offer a spicy sauce on the side.

Another traditional Bolivian breakfast pairs the llaucha with a Bolivian beverage called api. Api bears a strong resemblance to Peru’s popular chicha morada, as it is also made with Andean maiz morado (purple corn), cinnamon, clove, and orange rind. However, what sets api apart is the fact that it is made from purple corn flour (not by boiling the cob itself) giving it a thick consistency, and is served steaming hot to combat the high altitude chill of the Bolivian Altiplano.

While the salteña is one of the most representative foods throughout Bolivia, and the llaucha offers a slice of traditional paceño (from La Paz) cuisine, both empanadas are sure to delight your taste buds during your trip to Bolivia with Kuoda.