Cuisine of Argentina

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Typical foods

Argentines are famous for their high protein diet, particularly beef. Grilled meat (parrillada) from the asado is a staple, with steak and beef ribs especially common. Chorizo, morcilla, chinchulines, mollejas, and other parts of the animal are enjoyed. In Patagonia, lamb and chivito — goat — are eaten more than beef. Whole lambs and goats can be seen on the asado. Chimichurri, a sauce of herbs and chili, is usually the only seasoning for steak and chorizo.

Related Topics:
Protein - Beef - Asado - Steak - Chorizo - Morcilla - Chinchulines - Mollejas - Patagonia - Chivito - Chimichurri

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Breaded and fried meat — milanesas — are used as snacks, in sandwiches or eaten warm with mashed potatoes — puré. Empanadas — pastries of meat, cheese, sweet corn and a hundred other varieties — are a common sight for parties, starters and picnics across Argentina. Vegetables and salads are important too for Argentines, even beyond the fried or mashed potato. Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, eggplants, squashes and zucchini are common sides.

Related Topics:
Milanesa - Potato - Empanadas - Picnic - Tomato - Onions - Lettuce - Eggplant - Squash - Zucchini

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Just as much as beef, Italian staples, such as pizza and al dente pasta, are eaten. It is said that Buenos Aires has more pizzerias than Rome. Fideos, ñoquis, ravioles and canelones can be bought freshly-made on every block in Buenos Aires. Italian-style ice cream is made in huge parlours, with even drive-thru places offering hundreds of flavors to satisfy this national obsession.

Related Topics:
Italian - Pizza - Al dente - Pasta - Buenos Aires - Rome - Fideos - ñoquis - Ravioles - Canelones - Ice cream

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In Chubut, the Welsh community is known for their teahouses, with scones and Torta Galesa, rather like Bara Brith.

Related Topics:
Chubut - Scones - Bara Brith

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Sandwiches de miga are delicate sandwiches made with crustless buttered white bread, very thinly sliced cured meat and cheese and leaf lettuce. They are often purchased from entrepreneurial home cooks and consumed with a Quilmes beer for a light evening meal.

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In the provinces, food is less European and more influenced by pre-Columbian and colonial traditions, with maize, beans, pumpkins and chilis making more appearances, whereas in Buenos Aires, even black pepper has been shunned. Locro is a spicy stew of white maize, often with pumpkin and sausage. Pucheros (stews) and cazuelas (casserikes) reflect a blend of Amerindian and Spanish cuisines.

Related Topics:
Maize - Pumpkin - Black pepper - Locro - Stew - Sausage - Amerindian

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The sweet paste, Dulce de leche is another national obsession, used to fill cakes and pancakes, spread over toasted bread for breakfast or as an ice cream flavour. Alfajores are shortbread cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche or a fruit paste. The "policeman's" or "truck driver's" sweet is cheese with quince paste or dulce de membrillo. Dulce de batata is made of sweet potato / yam: this with cheese is the Martin Fierros sweet. Fruits of Argentina are delicious, and their quinces, apples, pears, peaches, kiwifruits, avocados and plums are major exports.

Related Topics:
Dulce de leche - Alfajor - Quince - Sweet potato - Yam - Martin Fierro - Apple - Pear - Peach - Kiwifruit - Avocado - Plum

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A traditional drink of Argentina is a tea-like drink called yerba mate or mate. The dried leaves and twigs are placed in a small cup, also called mate, usually made from a gourd, but also bone or horn. The drink is sipped through a metal or cane straw called a bombilla. Mate can be sweetened with sugar, or flavoured with aromatic herbs or dried orange peel, to hide its strong bitter flavour, although this a less traditional method, looked at unkindly by seasoned drinkers, as the added flavours may remain in the gourd and influence later mates. Hot water is poured into the gourd at near-boiling point so as to not burn the herb and spoil the flavour. This action is called cebando el mate, and is consdered an important social ritual. At family or small social gatherings, one mate may be shared by the group, with the host preparing the mate to the preference of each guest. When one guest is finished, the mate is returned to the host, who will then prepare a mate for another guest. Mate cocido is the same leaf, which rather than brewed, is boiled and served, as coffee or tea, with milk or sugar to taste. Other typical drinks include wine (occasionally mixed with soda water); tea and coffee are equally important. 'Quilmes' is the national brand of lager, named after the town Quilmes where it was first produced.

Related Topics:
Yerba mate - Wine - Lager - Quilmes

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