Although every Argentine wolfed down 59.4 kilos of beef in 2014 according to the CICCRA meat chamber (that’s 163 grams a day), beef consumption is actually in decline in Argentina. Surprised? Me too, given the number of parrillas lining the streets of, well, anywhere, and asado invitations I get each week.
It is often said that street food in Buenos Aires is a little lacking compared to some big cities. You will rarely see people eating and walking at the same time, and most porteños will take their coffee break sitting down rather than grabbing a paper cup to go. Yet that doesn’t mean you’ll go hungry. Read on and we’ll help you get the inside track on the best street food around.
It is ox blood that first stained the slaughterhouses of Mataderos pink. The name of the neighbourhood itself means ‘slaughterhouses’. And throughout the week, Mataderos is still bovine hell – your last steak was probably alive and well (although a little trepidatious) until entering this suburb, at the westernmost end of Buenos Aires. However, on the weekend, particularly Sundays, the center of Mataderos becomes a fair and a celebration of all things country. It is where the country and city clash…