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Argentina Foods
Recipes In Tradition And Excellence
I've traveled a few places in this world and tasted A LOT of food and I do find Argentina foods to be a true specialty -- gourmet in flavor and presentation, yet simple, earthy and organic in the homespun style.
My husband and I had a Chateaubriand in Buenos Aires that had to be the finest in the world. I'll never forget that night, our second night in Buenos Aires. The waiters brought out the Chateaubriand all wrapped in herbs and pleasingly laid out to the eye for our approval before it was cooked. In unison we nodded and smiled at the five or six individuals who were assigned to our table (although, at that point we were the only ones in the restaurant!).
Feeling at times a bit uncomfortable with all of these waiters lined up and waiting for our next move or request, we nevertheless enjoyed perfection in our meal that night. It was elegant beyond elegant, yet we had the same excellence in flavor from the local grocer with our "snack" purchase of
empanadas
, meat-filled turnovers. I've read somewhere that it's almost a sacrilege to be a vegetarian and visit Argentina! So true because meat is everywhere and couldn't be more sumptuous.
Argentina foods
and cuisines are based mainly on the cuisines of Spain and Italy with beef as a staple food in most regions of the country. Goat and lamb are consumed more in the Patagonia region in the south. German, Swiss and French cuisines can also be found in Argentina. Cuisines from all over the world are available from the many restaurants in Buenos Aires. Welsh tea rooms are popular in Patagonia due to its large Welsh community. There is also a more pre-Colombian cuisine indigenous to the countries of Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay consisting of beans, maize and chili peppers.
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Most beef dishes are not overly flavored because the meat itself tastes so good. Cattle are allowed to roam the Pampas eating naturally, so there is less saturated fat and cholesterol in the meat. The famous barbecue, or asado, is the preferred method of cooking meat. Chorizo , or sausage, is a popular appetizer at the asado or in a choripan, a sandwich made with crusty bread. Chimichurri sauce, made from herbs, garlic, olive oil and spices, is often used on meats while grilling or as a marinade.
Argentinians eat four times a day. Breakfast, desayuno, is light consisting of rolls or pastries with jam and coffee. Lunch, almuerzo, is usually salads or meat and vegetables. After work in the late afternoon is when the cafes are frequented for picadas, simple hors d'oeuvres served on small plates consisting of nuts, olives, cheese , sardines, bread, cold cuts and chips. This is often served with espresso or vermouth. Dinner, cena, is usually beef and it is not uncommon to eat at 10 or 11 in the evening.
Pizza and pasta are also popular Argentina foods, due to the large Italian influence. Buenos Aires is said to have more pizzerias than all of Italy!
Many desserts in Argentina are made with
dulce de leche , a type of creamy caramel
made
from milk and sugar, and one of my favorite Argentina foods. This is spread on everything from toast to ice cream, and makes up the gooey center of the alfajor, a
popular cookie
. Argentinians love their ice cream, and I love their ice cream, too! Since dairy products like all Argentina foods are farmed and grown naturally, better than what we know of as "organic", the flavors are exceptional. I had a dessert with a couple of small rounds of a very slightly spiced ice cream surrounded by a few pieces of fresh fruit and covered with a hardened lattice-work art piece of dulce de leche. I'm not kidding. It was to die for! I only wish I could remember the name of it as well as I remember the sheer pleasure of eating it!
I love cooking
and I think I could go on forever about the tastes, smells and immense satisfaction of Argentina foods, but I have to stop now because it's making me SO VERY HUNGRY!!!
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Photographs of "Empanadas" by Ale Olguin
and
"Asado" by Gustavo Serruto
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