LebensUndLeidensZeichen: Food Adventures

I was close to write Food and Drinks in Latin America, but there are actually strong regional differences. It is a continent after all. However, from my experience I would suggest that Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and parts of Brazil (the south) have a lot in common regarding food and drinks. The fact that people around here are predominantly of European decent might account for that. I heard that Columbia with its strong native-American influence and tropical climate is very different. I will know in a couple of weeks.

Anyways, that is why I cut out all my experiences with local food from previous blog entries. What I talk about here is to my knowledge true for most/all the countries that I mentioned above (visited so far).

Beer

It was the first thing that I tried just when I arrived in Buenos Aires. But beer is the by far the dominant alcoholic drink here. The names of the labels indicate a rather strong German influence in the region. (they also had Warsteiner in my hostel in Buenos Aires). Lager and Pilsner are by far the most common types.

Empanadas

Probably the most common in all of South America. It is basically some dough stuffed with either beef or chicken mince. Sometimes seasoned and mixed with potatoes. You can eat them hot or cold. They are the cheapest thing you can eat with about 1$ each. (Yes, I do eat them a lot!). In Puerto Iguazu I had some freshly made in a little restaurant (this time deep fried). They can taste reeeeealy really good!

in the supermarket (baked)

freshly made (fried)

Pizza

Buenos Aires (and the whole region) experience a massive immigration from Italy in the last century. It changed the food and even language of people here. So Pizza, Pasta, Tomato Sauce, as well as ice cream are no considered traditional and typical for Buenos Aires.

Michelada

A shot strongly spiced with lemon, salt and tabasco. You put it in “your favorite beer”. It tastes quite horrible. A bit like the Krabbeldiewandnuff I know from home but spoiling a whole beer that you then need to drink :D

Provoleta

A dream come true. I remember that at the end of every cheese fondue I would fight with my brother for the delicious cheesy crust that is forming at the bottom of the pan. Here they turned the same stuff into a kind of appetizer. Why don´t we have that at home?

Tacos

My previous experiences of Tacos were mainly Taco Bells Fast-food and some really tasteless versions in San Diego. My friend Josema brought me to this restaurant to try some proper Mexican ones. God, they were really really good.

Coffee vs Yerba Mate

Argentinian Coffee is not worth mentioning (many South Americans inclusive Argentineans confirmed my experience) though there are some popular coffee houses (mainly due to their interior).

Instead, mate is the thing to go for. From Brazil to Argentina you see people running around with cups made of emptied pumpkins filled with the Yerba herb. You poor some hot water in which created a herby, bitter yet stimulating infusion that you either love or hate. You reuse the herbs multiple times and traditionally share it with others. Therefore people carry around thermos bottles with hot water. In the evening or on weekends almost everyone is drinking mate outside. I assume that is why coffee is not that much of a thing around here. (Either not so good like in Argentina or very rare like in Uruguay)

I frequently had Brazilian people working in our lab in Heidelberg and they introduced Mate to us (the Brazilian kind). Frankly spoken it reminded my of an infusion made with cigarette buds. The mate I tried here tasted much smother and less bitter. Local people here told me that Brazilian mate indeed tastes different (and stronger). The world of Mate will probably remain rather mysterious to me :D

Arepas

That is actually an Columbian/Venezuelan dish. You use cornflower and mix it with egg and water to make a dense dough. Then small disked are formed that get fried on both sites. I heard they are usually just filled with cheese, but I got an a bit more advanced version :D. Next to it you see a fruit juice. They like to put soya in it here which gives it a bit of an milkshake texture.

Sandwiches

At the celebration of the Argentinian Independence Day or just at every major bus station, you find these little stands with sandwiches filled with cheese and salami. They are often made right on spot, I think they should be fine to eat. In fact, they are really big, cheap and tasty.

???Bagel???

I could not figure out how these doughnut shaped things are called. But you get them everywhere on the street. They are quite dry and a bit sweet.

Medialunas

The main ingredient of an Argentinean breakfast. They look like croissants but are a bit more sweet and yeasty (like Hefezopf in Germany). You have them with coffee (in Argentina) or just as a snack.

Black Beans and Rice

I found it a bit unusual but that stuff seems typical for north Argentina and neighboring Brazil for breakfast. At least that's what my driver in Uruguay told me, who introduced it as former chef in my previous hostel in Puerto Iguazu (the world is small). It doesn´t really taste amazing, a bit like baked beans, but for a free hostel breakfast it is definitively a protein plus.

Dulce de Leche

This stuff is just everywhere in Argentina and Uruguay. It is a flavor for sweets, ice cream, filled in empanadas, drinks and you commonly use it as main spread for breakfast. I would consider it a type of caramel that is made from sweetened milk. It tastes actually nice, though very sweet.

Alfajores

Before I even knew what Dulce de Leche was, I had alfajores, something like the national cookies of Argentina. These are crumbly shortbread like biscuits sandwiching Dulce de Leche. The ones below are from the bakery, but they constitute also the free snack you get on planes and overland busses. I can recommend them, they are good.

Milanesa

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of a proper one, but you might spot the piece of Schnitzel on the plate below. They call them Milanesa and consider is a typical dish for the region. Usually it is topped with some cheese or an egg (as it was for my second plate). It tastes exactly like Schnitzel and you get it nearly everywhere in the country. PS: The other stuff is mashed potatoes, backed sweet potato and coal flower. I had it in a city called Hohenau in Paraguay, so it might have tasted a bit extra German.

Tikito

I saw these soft drinks mainly in the northern province around Misiones. Just imaging melted lemon ice cream filled into a bottle. Its so sugary that it feels not even that liquid anymore. I had to water it down quite a bit :D

Ice Cream

Every Argentinean insisted that I have to try their local ice cream. They got it from the last big wave of Italian Immigrants (so same origins as at home). In fact it tastes very similar to the ice cream you get in a good (Italian) Gelateria in Germany. However, they put here much more emphasis on its unique quality and hold it in high esteem. The one I tried, Dulce de Leche of cause, was really good. So it seems to be justified :D

Asado

Argentina's national dish, at least as much common in Uruguay, south Brazil and other neighboring countries. It is derived from the barbeque the gauchos (Argentinian cowboys). People gather around the wood fire hours before the barbeque actually starts. Typically there are different kinds of beef, sausages, blood sausages, sweet potatoes and sometimes cheese. The meet is accompanied with bread and Chimichurri sauce. The social component is at least as important as the food.