Typical dishes and foods of Argentine gastronomy a mixture of flavor and cultures (1st part).

The gastronomy of Argentina combines influences of Creole food (due to the Spanish colonizers), the native one ―with its crucial contribution of corn, potato, sweet potato, cassava, tomato, mate―, sub-Saharan African (like the consumption of achuras and tripe) as a consequence of the people taken as slaves from Africa to the territory that is currently Argentina—, the Spanish and the Italian (as a consequence of the massive immigration of that origin to Argentina in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries).

Argentine cuisine is characterized by the prevalent use of meat and wheat flour.

Typical dishes and foods of Argentine gastronomy.

A determining factor for its gastronomy is that Argentina turns out to be one of the largest agricultural producers on the planet, with a wide range of foods of all kinds at relatively low prices.6 It is a large producer of wheat, beans, corn or corn, meat (especially beef), milk and, since the 1970s, also a large soybean producer, although this legume has not achieved popular acceptance.

Chili pepper from Chicha (Ajies con Chicha).

Chicha is a drink widely consumed in South America and Central America. In general, it is a drink made by hand, with a mild to medium alcohol content. By extension, the term chicha is also used in some countries of Latin America to refer to non-alcoholic beverages, such as chicha criolla in Venezuela or chicha morada in Peru, and other fruit juices.

Northwest.

Food that is prepared with broth, belly, chili and potato.

Wheat locro (Locro de trigo).

The wheat locro is a variety of the classic Argentine locro. This traditional dish of the gastronomy of the southernmost country has become one of the richest and most anticipated of the national dates.

Central and Northwest.

It is prepared with wheat trodden and without cuticle, boiled with water and salt, to which onion, squash, pieces of goat meat are added and it is finished seasoning with saffron, fat refried and chili pepper.

Locro is an essential traditional cooking recipe for national holidays as well as any Sunday in winter since, due to its ingredients, they make it an ideal dish to go through cold days.

This cooking recipe is ideal for those who are not very fond of white corn. Its main ingredients are corn, meat and beans.

Caramel cookie (Alfajores).

In Latin America, the alfajor is a sweet dessert, which shares its origin with its Andalusian namesake, a traditional delicacy of the Al-Andalus gastronomy, although it bears more similarities with the alajú, in terms of its configuration.

In Argentina, Bolivia, Cile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and other countries of South America, the best of the composto da due biscotti uniti gives a ripieno dolce (only sweet milk) and usually bagnati nel cioccolato, glassa or zucchero in polvere. Esistono anche alfajor di frutta, mousse di cioccolato e differenti ripieni.

Alfeñiques.

Pampean area.

They are not only eaten in Argentina, but also in Peru, Colombia and Mexico, where there are two types: those made with water and those produced with egg white.

Dessert formed by spheres of a thick syrup with lemon juice or anise or mint.

The newspaper La Gaceta de Tucumán, the epicenter of the sugar industry, tells that the alfeñiques “are made with cane honey, sugar and glucose.

They are cooked in a pan until they form a paste or a dough. When it is just the right point, and it has a dark color, it is cooled a little and begins to stretch it and knead it continuously until it acquires the lightest color, typical of this special candy.

Once the dough is ready, it is separated into strips and the classic knots of the shank are made ”.

White carob beer (Aloja). 

The pods are ground and fermented with water in a knockout (leather lagarcillo) or bilqui (large jar cut in half).

The most common form of lodging is an alcoholic beverage prepared by the "carob" or "carob" (Prosopis alba or Prosopis nigra).

To shorten the operation, a little concho or stool is usually used as a yeast.

A few hours later, it is a fresh and pleasant drink, after which it acquires a strong and nauseating taste and a smell of very pronounced horse urine; then you add more ground carob with water and salt and it is called lodge spicy sweet.

Also prepared is molle, barley and corn.

Corn house (Mazamorra).

The stepped corn is boiled with pieces of orange peel, clove, etc. taking care not to rock (unlike the mazamorra, for example).

Mazamorra is a popular corn-based food, which is prepared in many Hispanic countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, etc.).

The water is removed since it starts to boil and adding more hot water at the same time. When the corn is white, it is taken out as whole and it is mixed with the water deposited in the jars where it remains three or four days, until it ferments.

After the last water, the corn is washed with cold water, to separate the whole corn from the broken grains, straws, etc .; finally that whole corn is put in the water separated in the jars and contributes to the fermentation. It is usually taken with sugar or cane honey, with or without the grain, to taste.

Ancacho.

Ancacho is a traditional dish that has ingredients that are easily available and we can prepare it in our kitchen. In Folk Race! We bring you this traditional recipe so you can try something well of ours.

Argentine Northeast (Salta).

It is prepared with cornmeal kneaded with lamb blood, to which fat is added as for common tortillas and then cooked on the grill or boiled.

With these aboriginal and creole roots, the typical dishes of the North of Argentina offer a peculiar mixture of flavors and aromas, loaded with a lot of history and culture. One of these traditional dishes is ancacho.

This dish, traditionally prepared with cornmeal and lamb's blood, is typical of the province of Catamarca and is one of those recipes that has been handed down from generation to generation since colonial times.

Popcorn (Palomitas de maiz).

Popcorn is an appetizer (sweet or salty) made from some special varieties of corn, for example pisingallo corn.

Central area of the country (Cuyo).

In a saucepan with hot oil, place the corn, removing it as it opens. It is served sprinkled with sugar.

In Mexico, they were prepared at the moment, putting corn in very hot clay pots, or putting grains on burning ash. In the Yucatan peninsula, the Mayans also used popcorn for ritual and gastronomic purposes.

Christopher Columbus noted that the natives made hats and bodices with popcorn, which they sold to sailors.4

Around the year 1612, French explorers documented that the indigenous Iroquois exploited corn in clay pots, using burning sand. They also reported that during an Iroquois dinner, beer and soup made from popcorn were consumed.


In Chile, in the 18th century, the indigenous people also produced popcorn with the sand technique in order to grind it and, later, produce a flour that was consumed as a fresh or hot drink.

Grilled corn on the cob.

I have the feeling that in our country it seems that corn is only consumed in salads, at least in general - and with exceptions, of course

Corn grains are a very nutritious food that deserves to be claimed from time to time in our kitchen.

Center and northwest.

. But recently I began to remember the grilled cob stalls that are still served at fairs in many towns, including also in Switzerland, and I decided to prepare grilled ears of corn at home.

The truth is that corn grains are a very nutritious food that deserves to be claimed from time to time in our kitchen, much better cooked at home. This time I have simply served it with good coarse salt and a touch of peppers to enhance the flavor, and the truth is that it may surprise those who are used to the sweetness of preserves a bit.

Anchi.

Anchi is a very popular dish in the Northwest region of our country, especially in the province of Salta.

Northwest (Salta).

Food made with yellow semolina, water, sugar and lemon. Cane honey is usually added.

Ice cream? Chocolate? Cakes? Let's break the routine and try new things. A great alternative for dessert is Anchi, a traditional Argentine recipe that few know and that can revolutionize the table.

It is simple, inexpensive and something very important, very nutritious and the good thing is that everyone can do it to their liking. This dessert is based on corn grits, sugar, lemon and a touch that you give it, such as cinnamon.