Delicias del Sol – Cooking with solar energy in the Elqui Valley

In the wee early morning hours, the solar cooks at “Delicias del Sol” begin preparing the restaurant’s meals so as to use the sunshine hours optimally. In front of the restaurant the numerous “solar ovens”. These glass-covered ovens are flanked with four reflective aluminium flaps that help to catch the sun’s rays, thereby generating enough heat for cooking.

This extraordinary restaurant is located in the Elqui Valley, one of the most visited areas in the north of Chile home to small rural villages and famous for its wine and pisco production. The starry night sky of this region attracts many astronomy lovers to the Elqui Valley, and those interested in culture can visit the museum of the famous Chilean poet and Nobel Prize laureate in literature Gabriela Mistral.

The restaurant is in Villaseca Vicuña, about an hour’s drive (65 km) from La Serena in the direction of Pisco Elqui, and is well worth the trip for a unique experience to try traditional Chilean dishes ecologically prepared with solar energy. Besides the typical Chilean cazuela (consommé soup with beef), you can also enjoy other typical dishes as well as tasty “sun bread” and desserts. All the options are full of taste as the ingredients cook slowly with solar energy.