Argentina on a plate

I have just realised I did not write much about food recently. And as you know me searching eating spots takes some of my time when travelling... Not easy to please :-)

But first things first. Breakfast in Argentina is really uneventful - usually toasts or medialunas (like croissants) with plenty of dulce de leche (condensed milk like toffee). Dulce de leche is also a main ingredients for alfajores, a snack of cookie sandwich with added fruit paste. Lunch often means empanadas and breaded or fried meats - milanesas (sort of wiener schnitzel). Italians brought not only milanesas - pastas are big too; not spaghettis or pennes but hearty tallarines, ravioles, noquis or sorrentinos. All followed with great ice-creams and downed with yerba mate sipped through a bombilla.

Nothing special, huh? It would be so if not for the Argentinian meat; and it means not only beef but also lamb or pork... Eating meat is an institution in itself - Argentinians call it asado (large bbq). And they grill everything: sausages (chorizo, morcilla), lamb, pork, ribs and beef (not the best cuts though). All are slowly grilled (around two hours) unmarinated until usually quite well done and eaten with only chimichurri sauce (spicy olive oila and herbs mix). Asado is also kind of a social event and for me meats are good but not exceptional. The best meats go solo! Lamb (cordero) is a Patagonian speciality - with calafate sauce is just so tasty. And then there is beef...

Argentinians cut up their cows differently so it is not easy to translate but best are bife de chorizo (rib-eye steak) and bife de lomo (tenderloin). Bife de chorizo is not so tender but has so much more taste... Unlike asado meats best beef is at most medium-done but rather medium-rare. Nice Malbec wine to go with and you lost me for an hour :-) So far my best meat was in small restaurant called 'El Obrero' in la Boca pictured - bife de chorizo mariposa, so butterfly shaped cut - I guess by now you can picture me smiling... Just to make sure the smile does not fade away so quickly I'll make sure to try some more :-)

Hungry?