Meat is centerpiece of Buenos Aires cuisine


When it comes to food and drink, Argentines know what they like and they mostly stick to it.  While other international options can be found in the metropolis of Buenos Aires, it’s not like Los Angeles where you can easily find authentic cuisine from all corners of the world.  Instead of the wide variety you find in most big cities, there is a multitude of the Argentine staples, as I like to refer to them. When in B.A., you’ll never have a shortage of empañadas, pizza, parrilla, milanesa, choripan, bondiolas, ponchos, tartas, papas fritas, medialunas, alfajores, dulce de leche and, of course, ice cream.

When most people think of Argentina, however, the first thing they think of is good steak and wine. This is very true. No matter what form it is served in, all the meat I have had here has been incredible. The most traditional Argentine meal is parrilla, and when you come to Buenos Aires you will see all different types of parrilla-style restaurants, from hole-in-the wall family-run affairs to high-end  establishments. Either way, these restaurants are where you go for a big steak dinner. When you go to a parrilla, you typically order your choice of meat and the type of cut and then sides to share as a table. There are many different cuts of beef you can order, and while it comes down to personal preference it’s hard to go wrong. My favorites are bife de lomo and bife de chorizo ordered “a punto,” or medium. With these delicious steaks you cannot forget the chimichurri, a sauce made of finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano and white vinegar.  The most common side dishes for parrilla are usually salad, papas fritas, chorizo and provoleta. Provoleta is one of the most unusual but delicious dishes. Essentially it is grilled cheese. Cooks place a block of cheese topped with herbs and sometimes pancetta and sun-dried tomatoes in a skillet and then on the grill.  It is served hot with a basket of bread that you use to scoop up the melted cheese. While it might sound basic, it is bound to get any cheese lover’s heart thumping.

Moving away from steaks but not meat options are many other favorite Argentine foods. Don’t worry about anything being spicy, the Argentines really don’t like spicy food, and it’s hard to come by. But you have a variety of other flavors in the dishes. There are milanesas, beef or chicken, cut in a large, thin slices, breaded and then baked.  They are often served “napolitano style,” with a slice of ham melted cheese and marinara sauce over top.

Then you have your most common street foods — choripan, bondiolas and ponchos.  Choripan is chorizo, a flavorful sausage that is grilled and served inside pan, a baguette. Bondiolas are served in the similar type of bread but instead of chorizo they have slices of beef.  These sandwich-like foods are often topped with chimichurri as well. Ponchos are hotdogs, just as we know them in the U.S., and are often topped with mayonnaise, chopped tomatoes and crispy potato flakes. Of these three my favorite is definitely the choripan, with extra chimichurri, please.

Empañadas are the go-to of Argentine cuisine if you want something easy, budget friendly and quick. They come in a variety of types but the most common are jamón y queso, pollo, carne and caprese. The empañadas at El Viejo Hornito, a restaurant kitty-corner from my house, have become a Sunday night fall back for me and my housemates when we aren’t in the mood to cook.  While we might be slightly biased, we think these are the best empañadas in our area because of their soft outer pastry and extremely flavorful and generously portioned filling.

If you’re not in the mood for empañadas something else you’ll also see a lot of are pizzerias.  The first time I had pizza in Argentina I was very surprised by what I got. It was unlike any pizza I’ve had in the U.S. Argentine pizzas tend to have thicker crust, less sauce, more cheese and are completely piled with toppings.  The layer of cheese is shockingly thick and typically accompanied by ham that is put over the sauce but under the cheese, shredded chicken, mushrooms and bell peppers and of course olives.  No matter what type of pizza you  order there will be a few whole, unpitted olives plopped on top.

If you’re craving something sweet you’re likely to come across something with dulce de leche. Argentines cannot get enough of dulce de leche, and they put it on everything from their medialunas (small sweet pastries that resemble croissants) for breakfast to just about every ice cream flavor, cake or cookie.  They have alfajores, two shortbread-like cookies with dulce de leche in between them that are often dipped in chocolate.  Also, just as much as Argentines love their DDL they love their ice cream. There might be as many ice cream parlors in this city as there are Starbucks in an American city. The most popular ice cream chain is Freddo, and you can find at least one in every neighborhood if not many more. The hype around ice cream is not an overreaction. The ice cream in Argentina is a hybrid of gelato and the ice cream that can be found in the U.S. It is very smooth and creamy and comes in a huge variety of chocolate, fruit and dulce de leche flavors. Yes, there is a whole DDL category.

Of course, with all of this eating you’ll need something to drink. Don’t expect water to be offered to you with your meal. That is one of the things I miss most about the U.S.  Here, you have to buy water if you want it, and that becomes a hassle. Often cheaper and more commonly offered than water are sodas or “gaseosas.”

If you want to kick it up a notch you can hardly go wrong with wine. Overall, wine is much cheaper here than in the U.S., but there is definitely a value spectrum, and you get what you pay for. When buying in the grocery stores, you can get a nice bottle of wine for anywhere between 50-80 pesos, which is roughly $5-8. Expect to pay much more at a restaurant for a nice bottle of wine, however. Aside from wine, Argentines love fernet, a liquor that is reminiscent of jager but much more herbal. It is served with coke and is one of the most popular drinks at bars.

I will miss Argentine food a lot but will be happy to be back at home surrounded by much more variety and, of course, spicy food.

Alana Victor is a senior majoring in International Relations and Print and Digital  Journalism. The column “Troy  Meets World” runs every Wednesday.