Escuela de Lenguas UNLP/About Argentina/Typical Argentinean Food

Alfajor
The alfajor is a very popular sweet in Argentina. Although it is found in other countries, Argentina is the place where it has adopted a greater variety of shapes and flavours. The alfajor is not original of the Argentinean or Latin American cuisine; it is an ancient invention of the Arabic culinary art. It consists of two round tops, made of baked dough, joined by different types of fillings, such as milk jam, fruit jam, mousse, quince jam, walnut, honey, among others. Generally, they are covered whit a glazed bath, powdered sugar or chocolate. In Argentina, the alfajor has been traditional for more than 130 years and it is one of the most consumed sweets. There are two types of alfajor: regional and industrial. Regional alfajores are usually made in tourist areas of the country, such as Córdoba, the Atlantic coast, and Santa Fe. Each region produces its characteristic type of alfajor. Industrial alfajores are made in Buenos Aires or Rosario and they are consumed all over the country. One of the most important brands (Havanna) has a great net of cafes where people can buy their alfajores.

Asado
The asado (barbecue) is a ritual in Argentina, like mate and milk jam. It´s a ritual that doesn't need special occasions, although it is common to make it on Sunday, when everybody has a lot of free time. It is an excuse to meet family and friends, to chats, share drinks, empanadas, and have fun. It can be made with different ingredients, such as beef, sausages, blood sausages, offel, chicken and pork. Everything is put on a grill usually outside, and it may take a long time to cook, That depends on the “asador” (the person who makes the asado).

Chipa
INGREDIENTS 500 gr. cassava flour 500 gr. red-colored cheese 1 cup of parmesan grated cheese 150 gr. butter 4 eggs ½ a cup of milk ½ a teaspoon of pepper 1 teaspoon of salt

INSTRUCTIONS 1.- Mix the flour, salt, pepper and the parmesan grated cheese in a bowl. Add the butter mixing slowly. 2.- Add the eggs, and then slowly the milk, and mix to get a firm dough. 3.- Cut the cheese into small cubes and add it to the dough, mixing well. 4.- Shape small balls, trying the cheese cubes to get inside. 5.- Cook in a greased roasting pan in the oven at moderate temperature, until it is brown and a little swollen (approximately 30 minutes).

Mandioca – Cassava - Yuca
“Manihot esculenta”, commonly called cassava, mandioca or yuca, is a south american native shrub, cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions. Its roots are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Cassava can be cooked in different ways, boiled, fried, or it can be made into flour and this is used in cakes and bread. It’s healthy for celiac people, because it doesn’t have gluten. The biggest producer of cassava is Nigeria, other importants producers are Thailand, Indonesia and Brazil. Cassava is potentially toxic, it’s roots, peel and leaves should not be consumed raw, because they contain two dangerous components: “linamarin and lotaustralin”. Other uses: - Laundry products. - Production of biofuel for renewable energy. - Animal food, especialy for pigs and chickens. - Alcoholic beverages.

Mate
A traditional drink in Argentina is an infusion called Mate. It isn´t only drunk in Argentina, other countries, like Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and the South of Brazil drink it too. The name comes from the hollow gourd. Mate can he drunk in any smalll cup -traditionally made of silver-. It is filled up to about three quartes with "yerba". "Yerba" is dried leaves and twings of "llexparaguaransis". Hot, but not boiling water is poured into the ground. Mate can be sweetened whit sugar or flavored with dried orange peel. Also it can he drunk with cold water. Then it is called "tereré". It is a tradiotional drink in Paraguay. Argentinean people love drinking mate together with family or friend, so it is passed from person to person. Drinking mate together is an important social meeting. Argentinean people are very friendly!

Locro
Locro is a typical Argentinian food. This food is a good idea for the cold days. It is popular in the Agentinian North, people eat it hot. It became famous in the Indpendence War, when the “gau-chos” ate it in battle. The ingredients are pumpkin, white corn, wheat, potatoes, sausages and bacon. This dish began between indoamenricans, but its preparation includes European ingredients.

Curanto
What is “curanto”? It is possible to translate it as “scree or hot stones”, according to the Mapuche Language. It is the typical food of the Araucana Region, and it was brought to the Argentine Patagonia from Chile by the Goye family at the beginning of the twentieth century.

This food is made underground!. Indeed we must make a hole in the ground, about 15 or 20 cm of depth and as large depending on the number of diners. Then we put in the hot stones and cover them with regional tree leaves. Then we add the ingredients: different types of meat such as beef, lamb, pork, fish and shellfish; also we prepare the vegetables: potatoes, carrots, yams, pumpkins, apples, onions, peppers and so on.

The best cookers say that a good “curanto” must contain, at least, “five different types of meat and five different vegetables”. It is covered with other leaves, a wet canvas and dirt. The cooking time is about an hour or an hour and a half. Then we uncover it and the food will be tender and golden.

The Welsh Black Cake
The Welsh Cake, does not come from Wales. It is a symbol of the strength of the first Welsh settlers, who arrived in Chubut Valley, Argentina, at the end of the nineteenth century, and they had to face a lot of difficulties in the environment. The Welsh arrived in the Patagonian coast on 28th July, 1865, aboard the Mimosa ship. There were 153 settlers, between men and women, they came from Madryn County, in Wales. Nothing was easy for the pioneers. They had to face lack of drinking water and of foodstuff. While the men went around the land searching for water, the women cooked with the few elements that they had, and they had to make it last long in time. This is how the Welsh Cake was born. A group of families met and they started to mix the ingredients that they had at hand: flour, black sugar, sugary fruits, honey and others. The result was a cake with two essential features: high caloric value and long perdurability. When the worst period was over, one tradition was added: The Welsh Black Cake. Each family has its recipe and its own secret ingredient that gives the cake a particular taste.