Uncover the secrets of the asado and delicious Argentinian recipes with The Real Argentina food guide…
Argentines love to eat and are passionate about their prowess in the kitchen. While Argentina may be most famous for its world-class beef, Argentinian food also incorporates influences from many other distinct cuisines around the world.
Join us on our culinary exploration to discover all the best flavours and tastes that Argentina has to offer. We’ll be reviewing restaurants, checking out local traditions, and trying our hand at some typical recipes.
Cooking with wine means you are compelled to uncork a bottle at least an hour before you otherwise would, and to drink a glass or two at least an hour before you probably should. This is self-evidently a good thing.
Ahh, the lomito sandwich. In Turkey they have a kebab; in England, well, they have the kebab too; in the US it’s a burger. In Argentina, it’s the lomito. It’s the fast food to go, it soaks up the alcohol, it’s a lunchtime comfort food and it’s a classic.
Of all the national dishes on offer throughout the country, empanadas are especially evocative of Argentina food and culture. In this delicious empanada recipe, we’ll be going showing you how to prepare ossobuco empanadas topped with hot tomatoes and baked red onion sauce.
Recently my vegetarian mate Brian came to Argentina – land of the cow – on a ‘meat sabbatical’. OK, that’s not strictly true – he came here to go skiing in Bariloche, but what he discovered in Buenos Aires was so much more enriching, literally: parrillas
At first glance, an Argentina supermarket is like any other. Then you notice the whole aisle devoted to yerba mate, a vegetarian section that consists only of cardboard-like soya milanesas, and – as one blogger has noted – an astounding number of variations on tinned corn.
I have a spice vice. I like it hot. We’re talking serious heat – no pussyfooting around with a korma for me. I scissor skinny bird’s eye chillies raw into salad. I’ve been designing a twisting chilli tattoo for seven years. But in Argentina, it takes a bit of detective work to find that elusive spicy…
‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’ So they say. Although here’s betting that ‘they’ aren’t Argentinian. In Argentina, breakfast is a thoroughly simple affair. The options rarely, if ever, move beyond the two key staples: tosadas (toast) or media lunas. They’ll be served with coffee and orange juice. Anywhere serving anything extravagant – including yogurt or fruit – or any form of cooked eggs is catering to tourists…
An influx of Italian immigrants in the 1870s and again in the 1940s left Buenos Aires with a strong Italian heritage. Evidence of this can be seen by flicking through the surnames in a phone book and by taking notice of the nation’s indulgence in ice cream. Often claiming to be better than gelato, Argentinian-made ice cream has got to be the country’s second staple after beef. You never have to walk far to find the neighborhood’s ice cream parlors (that’s right, plural)…
Choripán – Sausage in a bun, Argentina style. 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.) What’s in choripán? Only the finest cuts of pork or beef. Ha ha, not really…
Argentines will tell you the best stuff is when mamma makes it, but making dulce de leche from scratch is a bit like waiting for a solar eclipse. You wait and wait (stirring condensed milk on a low heat for two to three hours), and finally see its magnificence for a brief moment, but it soon disappears with the blink of an eye. It’s best to keep a small stockpile in your cupboard…