Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
found the bovine equivalent of heaven: plenty of lush, fertile grasses on which to feed,
with few natural predators. After the Europeans recolonized, they bred these cattle with
other bovine breeds.
Traditionally, free-range Argentine cows ate nutritious pampas grass and were raised
without antibiotics and growth hormones. But this culture is being lost, and today nearly
all beef in restaurants come from feedlots.
Average beef consumption in Argentina is around 58kg per person per year - though
in the past, they ate much more.
Italian & Spanish
Thanks to Argentina's Italian heritage, the national cuisine has been highly influenced by
Italian immigrants who entered the country during the late 19th century. Along with an
animated set of speaking gestures, they brought their love of pasta, pizza, gelato and
more.
Many restaurants make their own pasta - look for
pasta casera
(handmade pasta).
Some of the varieties of pasta you'll encounter are
ravioles
,
sorrentinos
(large, round
pasta parcels similar to ravioli),
ñoquis
(gnocchi) and
tallerines
(fettuccine). Standard
sauces include
tuco
(tomato sauce),
estofado
(beef stew, popular with ravioli) and
salsa
blanca
(béchamel). Be aware that occasionally the sauce is
not
included in the price of
the pasta - you choose and pay for it separately.
Pizza is sold at pizzerias throughout the country, though many regular restaurants offer
it as well. It's generally excellent, so go ahead and order a slice or two.
Spanish cooking is less popular than Italian, but forms another bedrock of Argentine
food. In Spanish restaurants here you'll find paella, as well as other typically Spanish
seafood preparations. Most of the country's
guisos
and
pucheros
(types of stew) are des-
cendants of Spain.
