KEY TAKEAWAYS Christmas in Argentina: A 23-Year Resident Explains Local Traditions Christmas in Argentina falls three days after the summer solstice, and everything else follows from that. The meal is cold or cooked outdoors. It starts at 10pm when the heat finally drops. The main event is the night of December 24 rather than the […]
KEY TAKEAWAYS Search for chimichurri and you will find seven or eight national versions presented as equivalent regional traditions. They are not equivalent, and pretending otherwise makes the whole subject harder to understand rather than easier. Two of them are genuinely chimichurri: the Argentine and the Uruguayan, which developed together in the Río de la […]
KEY TAKEAWAYS Argentina drinks differently from the rest of South America, and the difference is Italian. The immigration wave that arrived between 1880 and 1930 brought amaro, brought wine culture, brought the habit of drinking something bitter after a heavy meal. Layer that over a Guaraní stimulant, add a wine industry sitting at altitudes no […]
KEY TAKEAWAYS Flap Meat Steak: What It Is and How to Cook It the Argentine Way Flap meat steak is one of the most flavourful cuts on the animal and one of the most misunderstood. It is sold under a dozen names, confused with two other cuts it is not, and cooked wrong more often […]
Key Takeaways How to Build an Argentine Parrilla: Design, Materials, and the Full Build The first time you cook on a parrilla you DIY built yourself, you understand why Argentines never replaced theirs with a gas grill. The principles of argentinian grill design are old and they are simple, but every measurement on the structure […]
If you’ve ever squeezed a fresh lemon over grilled meat, you already know how much brightness and zesty magic it adds. But if you’ve never tried grilling the lemon first, you’re missing one of the simplest upgrades you can make to an asado. A few minutes over hot embers on the parrilla completely changes this […]
Mendoza has around 1,250 wineries and makes roughly 70% of Argentina’s wine, spread across three sub-regions: Maipú closest to the city, Luján de Cuyo the historic heart of Malbec, and the high-altitude Uco Valley further south. Below is the map, the wineries I would actually send you to, and how many days you need. I […]
When most people think of a July 4th barbecue, the menu usually looks the same: burgers, hot dogs, and marinated chicken. Coming from Argentina, with many American friends, I have absolutely nothing against this, but rather would like to suggest a bit of Argie zest to the next 4th of July! So, if you’re looking […]
Key takeaways: If you’ve searched for chimichurri recipes online, you’ve probably noticed one ingredient changes from recipe to recipe: the vinegar. In this article, I will explain why we use red wine vinegar for chimichurri. It’s a non-negotiable that many overlook, but its key decision if you want to get your chimichurri just perfect. Red […]
What food goes with Malbec? Grilled red meat, first and always – steak, lamb, chorizo and anything off the parrilla. Malbec’s dark fruit and firm-but-friendly tannins were built for charred, fatty beef. After that it loves aged cheese, mushrooms, beef empanadas and dark chocolate. The short “avoid” list: delicate white fish, light salads and cream […]
Torrontés is Argentina’s signature white wine – intensely aromatic on the nose, with orange blossom and peach, but almost always dry on the palate. That contrast is the whole story: it smells sweet and tastes crisp. It is at its best with spicy and aromatic food, empanadas, soft cheese and the lighter cuts off the […]
What wine goes with steak? In one line: a dry, full-bodied red with enough tannin to cut through the fat. Reach for Cabernet Sauvignon or Argentine Malbec with richer cuts like ribeye, and a softer red like Merlot or Pinot Noir with leaner cuts like filet mignon. The fattier the steak, the more tannin it […]
