Food

We Love… Choripan, the Ultimate in Argentine Street Food

The second in our We love... series of posts.

h2. Choripán – Sausage in a bun, Argentina style.

choripán
Image courtesy of David Wilbanks via Flickr

h3. What is choripán?

It took me two years of living in Argentina to figure out that choripán – the ultimate Argentinian street snack – is cunningly named from the words chorizo, a sausage, and pan, meaning bread. (Of course, it took me four years to realise that ‘chile con carne’ is ‘chilli with meat’ – so what can I say.)

h3. What’s in choripán?

Only the finest cuts of pork or beef. Ha ha, not really. If you worry about what goes into a chorizo, or you are the type of person who inspects their food, I’d skip the whole experience. The bread is usually crusty enough to scrape the skin off the roof of your mouth.

h3. Why do we love choripán so much?

The choripán is a hot, grilled, heavily condimented sausage in a bun. Yet, there is more to it than that. Walking the streets with grease-dripping chori feels so Argentinian. It makes you feel like a local, one of the guys. It says ‘I am from Argentina and I don’t care what goes into my food as long as it is from an animal.’ However, if you want to be really hardcore, buy a morcipan, a morcilla (black pudding) sausage in a bun.

choripán chef
Image courtesy of Paul Keller via Flickr

h3. How do you eat choripán?

The choripán should be eaten on the move – preferably on the way to a football match. Ask for ‘un chori’. The asador (grill man) will split it in half, heat it up and slap it in a bun. Before you will be a selection of sauces: chimichurri, a spicy(ish) sauce of dried chilli, garlic, olive oil and oregano – although everyone has their own recipe – and usually a tomato and onion salsa in vinegar. Load it up sufficiently enough to have it dripping off your elbows.

h3. Where do you get choripán?

You’ll see vendors outside football stadiums, in roadside vans and on Avenida Corrientes east of 9 de Julio. The mother lode, however, for cheap choripanes is along the Costanera, the far side of Puerto Madero. Otherwise one will come with any asado (grill).

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Daniel Neilson

Daniel Neilson

Daniel Neilson is a freelance writer and photographer, and lived in Buenos Aires for five years eating too much meat, going hoarse at football games and thoroughly failing to learn a step of tango. He edited Time Out’s Buenos Aires guidebook and has contributed words and photos to a variety of publications about Argentina for Four Four Two, The Wire, CNN Traveller, Real Travel, Adventure Travel and the Observer among others. He now spends his days drinking imported mate and planning his return journey.
Daniel Neilson

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15 responses to “We Love… Choripan, the Ultimate in Argentine Street Food”

  1. Leandro says:

    When the grill man opens the chori at the half the cut is called “mariposa” (butterfly).

    If the colour of the chorizo is dark red that means it has more cow meat than pork meat. If it´s more light red, more pork meat than cow meat.

    But the new star at the carritos (booths) at the shores of the Rio de la Plata is BONDIOLA.

  4. […] Walking the streets with grease-dripping chori feels so Argentinian. It makes you feel like a local, one of the guys. It says ‘I am from Argentina and I don’t care what goes into my food as long as it is from an animal.’  However, if you want to be really hardcore, buy a morcipan, a morcilla (black pudding) sausage in a bun.  [The Real Argentina] […]

  7. […] of Argentina street foods, which gets locals – and many visitors – most excited, is the famous choripan. We won’t say much more as The Real Argentina has already shown its love for this beloved […]

  8. Vero says:

    And if it is too red (artificial red) it means it has a lot of non very healthy chemicla products… but who cares. As long as it is well done… I want one!

  10. […] Choripan, you have my heart. Street food in sausage form, what else can a man ask for? All for a mere 10-15 Argentinian pesos (2-3 US dollars). Most cities have choripan food-carts, these photographs were taken in El Bolson. It consists of a deliciously barbecued sausage, a toasted bun and this wicked homemade hot-sauce that they all seem to have. Long live sausage!!! […]

  11. Hugo says:

    Thanks to you, I’m craving for a sizzling chori right now. Great work, man!

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