Let's leave the asado aside for a moment, because Argentina's rich and diverse culinary tradition does not end at the foot of a barbecue. Just as popular, although perhaps less known to foreign tourists, there are other delicacies that form a constituent part of the local gastronomic culture, which is synonymous with hierarchy throughout the world.
Locro or carbonara
It is the classic dish used to commemorate the anniversaries of 25 May 1810, the founding date of Argentina. It is that important. Historians agree that its roots go back to the Andean Puna. It is a pre-Columbian stew that incorporated ingredients brought by the Spaniards. It contains corn, pumpkin, beans, pork, chorizo, bacon, onion and many others; but above all it requires a slow and delicate preparation, in whose mastery lies the success of a delicate, balanced and creamy consistency, which places it at the top of all stews. Locro is not only a delicacy but also an example of the multicultural syncretism that articulates the tradition of typically Argentine flavours.
WHERE TO EAT
Patio de los lecheros. Donato Álvarez 175, Caballito.
La Dorita. Humboldt 1892 and Bulnes 2593, Palermo.
Sale e Pepe. Echeverría 1474, Belgrano, and Balcarce 436, San Telmo.
La Morada. Av. Hipólito Yrigoyen 778, C1086 AAL, Buenos Aires, Centro.
Argentinian Milanesa
No expedition to this city can be considered complete without first passing through one of the thousands of culinary establishments dedicated to the preparation of this dish that has been part of the Argentinean table for a century, when Italian immigrants arrived in these lands and brought with them their gastronomic heritage. Despite their points of contact, the Argentinian and Italian milanesa are very different, and the local version takes things further: it has become so deeply rooted among the national passions that there are several types, forms and recipes; and there is even a day marked on the calendar (May 3) to celebrate the National Milanesa Day. There are beef, chicken and legumes for all tastes: local gastronomy is often recognized internationally for its signature touches and unique ingredients. Even the prestigious specialised magazine Taste Atlas highlights in past issues the Argentinean milanesa as the best breaded ‘chuleta’ in the world, in a survey that reviewed the breaded meats prepared in different countries, such as Japan, Ukraine, Austria, Poland and Switzerland.
WHERE TO EAT
Gourmand Food Hall. Inns 1245, Patio Bullrich.
El Antojo. Tinogasta 3174, Villa del Parque.
Bodegón Nuñez. Arribeños 3198, Belgrano.
Manolo. Bolívar 1299, San Telmo.
Los Orientales. AV. RIVADAVIA 3981, Almagro.
Oviedo Bodegón de Palermo. Guatemala 5501, Palermo.
El Imparcial. Av. Hipólito Yrigoyen 1201, Monserrat.
El palacio de la papa frita. Av. Corrientes 1612, Downtown Buenos Aires.
Empanadas
Along with pizza, the empanada is the most consumed dish on the everyday table of Argentines: easy to eat, practical, tasty and varied in equal parts, it is what is most commonly ordered by heart when improvising meetings or get-togethers with friends. The unique diversity of flavours, the result of its reformulation in each area based on local products and techniques, is another of the qualities that place the Argentine empanada in every gastronomic ranking. It can be said that it is a tradition that defines the country in its entirety, since each region has its own original recipe; for example, the empanadas from Tucuman, made with matambre; or the ones from Salta, with pieces of potato in their filling; or the ones from La Rioja, also made with potato, but also with olives, hard-boiled egg, sultanas and green vegetables; or the ones from Jujuy, which can be made with llama meat, a native fauna of the region. The city of Buenos Aires is, of course, the great capital to which all empanada roads lead.
WHERE TO EAT
La Mezzetta. Av. Álvarez Thomas 1321, Villa Ortúzar.
Banco Rojo. Bolívar 866, San Telmo.
La Hormiga. Armenia 1680, Palermo.
Bakano. Agüero 1669, Barrio Norte.
El Hornero de San Telmo. Carlos Calvo 455, San Telmo.
Choripan
It is a passion of the multitudes. There are even a few Argentines who maintain that an asado is not a true asado if it is not accompanied by a couple of chorizo sausages being degreased along with any other piece of meat. It is usually eaten at the beginning of the ceremony, as a starter, but in its crispy bread sandwich version, the choripán is a dish and a delicacy in itself, one of the pillars of the Argentinean culinary tradition, since its cattle-raising beginnings. It is the popular delicacy whose delicious, smoky aroma wafts through the streets of almost every mass event in the city, from a football classic to a music festival or a car race. It goes well with chimichurri, salsa criolla or provenzal. It was the gauchos who were the first to eat choripanes, as they used to eat only with their ‘facón’ and, sometimes, a piece of bread or biscuit to go with it. There is a consensus among specialists that the choripán was born in the countryside and then developed successfully in the cities, Buenos Aires being one of them.
WHERE TO EAT
El Desnivel. Defensa 855, San Telmo.
Solomía. Quesada 1699, Núñez
Choripanería. Bolívar 954, San Telmo.
El Chapulín. Av. Int. Hernan M. Giralt 80, Costanera Sur.
Stuffed Fugazzeta
It is another of the creations of Argentinean gastronomy based on the Italian tradition. It is a delicacy that can be found at a good price all over the city of Buenos Aires. At the end of the 1932th century and the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the Italians brought with them their classic recipes, among them, pizza, from which a new version was created in this city with cheese and onion as protagonists: the fugazzeta, an Argentine invention, is a pizza with two discs with cheese in the middle as a filling and onion on top. Its origins go back to the combination of Neapolitan pizza (tomato sauce and cheese) and focaccia, the famous onion bread. In Genoa it is known as fugassa and was invented in these lands by Juan Banchero, son of a Genoese, who opened his pizzeria in the neighbourhood of La Boca in XNUMX.
WHERE TO EAT
Banchero. Av. Almirante Brown 1220, La Boca.
Los Campeones. Av. Manuel Montes de Oca 856, Barracas.
El Cuartito. Talcahuano 937, Downtown Buenos Aires.
Angelín. Av. Córdoba 5270, Palermo.
El Imperio de la Pizza. Av. Corrientes 6891, Chacarita.