Before the Europeans discovered South America, the native population cultivated a wide array of plants, including corn, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados and chile peppers. These South American staples were then incorporated with foods brought over from Europe and, today, Latino cuisine is a delicious fusion of native traditions and global gastronomic trends. Here are three South American dishes you need to try.

Ceviche can be found throughout South America, but is traditionally a Peruvian dish. It’s a dish of raw fish cured in citrus juices and spiced with ají (chili peppers). Onion, salt and pepper are added to the marinade, often served in a small glass as an appetizer along with corn and cooked sweet potato. The dish is also popular in Ecuador and Chile and is most often enjoyed early in the day, as traditional ceviche is made fresh from the morning catch.

Feijoada, a traditional and national Brazilian dish, is a hearty stew of black beans slow cooked with meat, usually pork and/or beef. The flavorful stew is served with rice, vegetables and assorted sausages, such as chouriço, morcela and farinheira. It’s served with a variety of side dishes including farofai, toasted manioc flour. The stew is prepared over hours of slow cooking in a thick clay pot.

Empanadas have been adapted and readapted all over the world, but the most traditional empanadas hail from Argentina. As the country is known for its great quality of meat, the best empanadas are made with steak by folding dough or bread with stuffing consisting of the meat, cheese, vegetables and spices. Argentinian empanadas are often served during parties and festivals as a starter or main course, and every family has their own preferred recipe.