10 ways to eat and drink your way across Argentina

02.03.2024 - 23:29 / lonelyplanet.com / El Calafate

While rich beef and sumptuous malbec are Argentina’s best-known specialties, there is more to the country’s food-and-drink scene than perfectly grilled steak and red wine.

Due in part to the immigration of millions of Europeans to Argentina at the turn of the 20th century, the country brings together European traditions with a distinct South American twist: Italian-style ice cream, empanadas from Spain, wine from vineyards planted by the French and German-style sausages and cheese – plus yerba mate, a herbal tea that is native to South America. What’s more, a country as large as Argentina, it’s no surprise that each region has its own delicious specialties.

Read on for a guide on how savor every flavor across Argentina.

Argentinians are the biggest consumers of beef in the world, and red meat is an essential part of the country’s culture. Grilling steaks is a tradition rooted in the mythologized gauchos who roamed the pampas (grasslands) tending to cattle and slow-roasting meat over an open flame – a custom ritualized in the form of the asado (or barbecue). Asados don’t get more traditional than at an estancia(ranch), which you can reach via a day trip (día del campo) from Buenos Aires, or get to know better during an overnight stay.

Where to try it: A visit toEl Ombú de Areco or nearby La Bamba de Areco, both in Buenos Aires province, offers an insight into traditional gaucho life, including a typical asado. In Patagonia, Nibepo Aike in El Calafate is a sheep farm where the nightly asadofeatures the local specialty, Patagonian lamb.

Read more: Local Bites: the best places to eat and drink in Buenos Aires

Oven-baked pastries with various savory fillings, empanadas are a staple of the traditional Argentine diet and the equivalent of a lunchtime sandwich (a mealtime portion usually consists of three). Empanadas are popular throughout Argentina, and have several regional variations. Look out for spicy ground-beef empanadas in Salta and Jujuy, deep-fried empanadas from Tucumán, and lamb-filled empanadas in Patagonia.

Where to try it: In Bariloche, try the creative flavors on offer at Oveja Negra. Salta is reputed to be home to Argentina’s best empanadas; try them at La Salteñería. In Buenos Aires, you can’t go wrong at La Morada.

Go to any park or plaza and you’ll see people drinking mate, an infusion of yerba (a local, bitter herbal tea) and hot water that is sipped through a special metal straw (a bombilla). The gourd that holds the yerba and water is called a mate, and the act of drinking from it is tomando mate (drinking mate). The concoction is heated to 70–85°C (160–185°F) but never boiled; a thermos flask keeps it warm on the go.

Where to try it: Mateis not typically served in bars or restaurants, so