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Argentine Food The Best in Slow Food "If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home." James Michener (1907 - 1997)
Argentina is a land of fresh full-flavored food that rarely comes out of a frozen food case in a mega-supermarket. As a matter of fact, few supermarkets on the scale of the American average size are found anywhere - although I did see one in the mid-size city of San Jan with an amusement park! Most grocery stores are the size of North American convenience stores. You go to a butcher for red meat, and separate markets for poultry and fish/seafood. Produce markets abound and bakeries with exquisite pastries are on every block. Delis for terrific cooked meats, cheeses, and prepared salads, sandwiches of all types, breads, wines and beer are "just around the corner." Large indoor markets are in all major cities offering everything from whole pigs to flowers. The
Mercado de San Telmo
in Buenos Aires and Tucuman’s vast
Mercado del Norte
make Whole Foods look like a corner store.
El Bolson
and
Los Antiguos
in the Patagonian Andes are a produce and fruit “shangra la” set in lush microclimates.
(fresh grass fed beef)
As is many cultures, cooking at home is considered a women's work, except for the outdoor grill, and Argentina is no exception. Since parilla - the grilling of meat, fish and seafood over fresh wood charcoal - is a major cooking method, Argentine men get a lot of experience. On Sunday, holidays and events, whether in a city or in the countryside, the extended family traditionally gathers for a parilla in the afternoon, and the smell of fresh wood with grilling food pervades the air.
Argentina is justifiably known as a country where it's hard to get a bad meal in a restaurant (note: I’m not saying it is always a great meal). Compared to the USA and Europe, eating out in Argentina is inexpensive. Lunch or dinner for two in a first class restaurant with a bottle of wine averages AR$95 to $152 (US$25 to 40.00). Spending more would simply mean over-eating since portions are large. A light meal for two – sandwich, soup and/or salad, beverage - runs about AR$24 - $40 (US$6.00 to $11.00). Argentines have a more eclectic taste than Americans – to say the least. Not only do the average menus have a large selection of terrific wood-grilled beef, pork, lamb and fish, but kidneys, brain, sausages of all types and sweetbreads (pancreas) are common as well as goat, llama, rabbit, and excellent hand made pastas.
(stuffed whole calamari)
Yet because of the variety of nationalities that emigrated to Argentina, traditional confort foods are easily available. In Barrio Belgrano, with its sizable Jewish population, Big Gourmet Deli, Calle Juramento 2200, serves a great corned beef on rye.
Unfortunately, despite the availability of a wide range of produce in most parts of the country, restaurants make short-shrift of vegetable selections on the menu and Argentines do not seem to mind. Vegetarian restaurants are short-lived and vegetarian options on menus are scarce. The new generation of chefs seem to be recognizing this anomaly.
Yet McDonald’s and Burger King are making inroads, especially in the major cities. In a nation of spectacular local beef, where you can get a fresh ground burger with cheese, tomato, onions and fresh made fried potatoes for AR$11.50 (US$3.00), why would anyone buy a Big Mac for AR$30 (US$8.00)? Argentine national cuisine is a fusion of Spanish, Indigenous and Italian traditions. Like so many cuisines with a large list of “comfort foods,” innovation has been slow in developing. But in the past decade, the increasing number of fine culinary colleges in major urban centers has produced a new generation of under-30-year-old-chefs who are creating innovative fusions using the nation’s excellent products.
(Quinoa timbale with seafood in a white wine béchamel)
The chefs are not just in Buenos Aires. These pioneers of an Argentine culinary renaissance are found in
Ushuaia,
El Bolson,
Salta,
Tilcara,
Rosario
and
Cafayate
to name just a few.
The average Argentine, like their Mediterranean cousins, love coffee and cafes are numerous providing not only beverages and light meals but restful social interaction. Dining follows a European pattern. Breakfast is light - coffee, tea or mate, medalunes (a sweet croissant) or toast, perhaps a little cheese and maybe some slices of ham or sausage. In hotels and B & B's the breakfast may range from this small fare to elaborate buffets with a variety of breads, cheeses, meats, eggs, fresh fruit, nuts, yogurts and pastries - breakfast is nearly always included in a hotel stay throughout Argentina.
Lunch is anytime between 12:00 and 3:00 pm (allow at least 1-½ hours) and often the largest meal of the day - if not having dinner in a restaurant. Most restaurants close at 3:00, although cafes stay open continuously from 7:00 am until 10:00pm.
Restaurants re-open for dinner around 9:00 pm. But, unless you want to glaringly advertise yourself as a tourist, do not arrive before 10:00 pm (11:00 pm is better.) Kitchens rarely stop cooking until 1:00 AM. If you still have energy, and many Argentines definitely do, you then go to the clubs for dancing - tango or anything else - which don't even open until midnight and close around 7:00 AM. Come on, you're on vacation! (And yes, Argentines will still arrive at work by 9:00 am - maybe 10:00…)
Argentina is infected with the "French paradox." Portions in most restaurants and cafes are generous with lots of protean, carbohydrates, salads - dressed in Argentina's own olive oil and balsamic vinegar - pastries, fruits, as well as their terrific wines and beers (although at lunch the common beverage is Coke or Sprite). Yet, and I can swear by my wife, the average dress size is a 4. The issue of obesity is virtually unknown. One of the great drawbacks, for even a well traveled chef, is having to rely first on guide books for restaurant recommendations. The issue is compounded if the stay is brief - a few days or less. A general guide has to consider a wide variety of tastes and budgets in making its recommendations. A good guide is well intentioned, but does not always understand the mercurial nature of the restaurant industry. What was a stunning culinary find last year may have lost the chef or owner that inspired such praise. Given this reality, I do as much research on restaurants before embarking on a trip as possible - after all, exploring cuisines is the reason behind my travel adventure. Studying the posted menu, eating first with your eyes and recommendations by locals - not necessarily the hotel that may be receiving a commission - can greatly enhance the probability for a memorable dining experience. Each link in Travel with Pen and Palate Argentina will detail my personal experience with Argentine restaurants, the great wines, the art of grilling with freshly made wood charcoal and the many cultural influences affecting this evolving cuisine - buen apetito!
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