Food |
Argentineans love to eat and to cook. The country is famous the world over for the quality and prevalence of meat, particularly beef . It is most commonly cooked simply in a traditional barbecue as steak, or stripped and cooked gaucho style, by roasting on a skewer or knife-point.
Due to the large number of immigrants that arrived in the country during the 19th and 20th centuries, you can find a range of European, Asian, and Indian restaurants throughout the country, besides the more expected offerings from South and Central American cuisines, including Brazilian, Chilean, Mexican, Caribbean and Peruvian. Not only that but Argentinians claim, and many people agree with them, that they have better Italian food than the Italians.
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Specialities |
Locro : a stew made of meat, potatoes, corn and sundry other vegetables. It is generally a winter dish.
Empanadas : Originally empanadas were fried meat ball pies - but nowadays you can easily find them filled with ham and cheese, corn, spinach, onion and cheese, prunes and ham, pineapple and ham, chicken, tuna fish or indeed just about anything you can stuff in them.
Asado : The traditional Argentine barbecue is tantamount to a religion in itself. Roasted meat (beef usually but sometimes goat) forms the cornerstone of practically every meal in Argentina. Argentine meat is always absolutely delicious - the wild grazing of the Pampas produces arguably the world's finest beef (although the cattle farmers of Kobe in Japan may disagree).
A real asado will have a whole animal spit roasted although it's more likely that you'll find your meat prepared in cuts and barbecued. Whatever method is employed the secret of a good roast is in the butchering of the meat (there are 20 cuts). Note that it's unlikely you'll find vegetarian or salad sides at an Argentine barbie.
Fish : Fish of all kinds are widely eaten both along the coast and by the country's many great rivers. Shellfish or fillets of fish can be found grilled, baked or covered with breadcrumbs and fried. The best fish is found in Mar del Plata and other Atlantic holiday resorts, and along the Patagonian Coast where it is a staple food.
Milanesas : thin veal, beef or chicken steak cuts, covered with seasoned breadcrumbs and fried. There are some variations - if you ask for a "milanesa napolitana", the meat will be served with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce on top, while a "caballo" will be topped with a fried egg. They make excellent sandwich fillings.
Desserts
Dulce de Leche : it is like a jelly but made out of cooked sweetened milk - and it is very, very sweet. Argentineans use it as a topping on cakes, pancakes, pieces of toast, cookies... literally everything.
Chocolates : Chocolate is extremely popular and is of as high quality as you can find anywhere in the world. In Bariloche city, Argentina's chocolate capital, you can choose between 130 varieties of chocolate and you can even have chocolate fondues.
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Drink |
The Argentineans predominantly drink local wine with main meals. You can choose between "tinto" (red), "blanco" (white) or "rosado" (rosé). Lager-Beers , both imported and local are drunk through the day - mainly bottled and served extremely cold. The most popular brand is Quilmes although there are others throughout the country - such as the Cordoba label.
For breakfast, for tea or just during the day many Argentines drink " mate ". Traditionally it is drunk from the husk of a "mate", a kind of gourd shaped fruit similar to a pumpkin, but you can find mate vessels made from wood or even metal (considered very inferior) today. The mate is filled with the yerba herb, which is bought dried and in various strengths. Hot water is then poured inside the vessel and the drinker sips the mixture through a kind of straw (" bombilla "). In summer time, milk or cool orange juice may replace the hot water - although real Mate drinkers may frown on such a practice. Among friends it is a common social tradition to share a mate. The water can be replenished as the vessel moves round.
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