Our 20 favorite Argentine culinary specialties

Prepare your taste buds for a gustative trip to Argentina! Here's our top of 20 Argentine culinary specialties.

For some, the desire to travel lies in the temptation to discover new landscapes, populations with unknown customs, architectures dating back centuries and to accumulate a maximum of photos of the world... For others, a good reason to travel would be to learn a new musical culture, to go hunting local artists and to perfect their playlists. Finally, for gourmets, travelling is especially the opportunity to awaken your taste buds! Taste new product associations, discover the typical dishes of each country...

It is for all these reasons that Wanderlix now offers you to find, for multiple destinations, our playlist travel , our top of the most beautiful pictures but also our top of culinary specialties !

Today we embark on a journey to South America to discover Argentine culinary specialties. From the incontournable maté to the culture of asado, Argentina has to fill the taste buds of the most gourmet...

¡Buen provecho!

A little hunger?

1. Empanadas

From Patagonia and its glaciers in Buenos Aires to the vineyards of Mendoza, not to mention the desert and lunar landscapes of the north, Argentina accumulates an incredible diversity in one country.

If this diversity is also at the level of gastronomy, the empanadas put all regions in agreement! In fact, these delicious raw foods eat as much in El Calafate in Patagonia as in Purmamarca, small pueblo Northern Jujuy Province.

Cooked in the oven or well fried, these gourmet slippers with Spanish origins taste at any time of the day. Often baked with meat, there are various variations to vegetables, quinoa, cheese and peppers. In short, there's something for every desire!

2. Tortillas rellenas

If your trip to Argentina passes through the north of the country, your memories will not stop at magical landscapes and beautiful encounters. Because your palate will also be marked by the exquisite flavor of tortillas rellenas .

To trade these traditional cakes, it is simpler than to stroll around the alleys of the towns and small villages in the north of the country: Tucumán, Salta, Jujuy or Purmamarca. These are tortillas , often stuffed with ham and cheese, are cooked in front of you, grilled on a grill, ready to be tasted.

A perfect snack to devour with your travel companions at the foot of the uncontournable Cerro de los Siete Colores!

3. Choripán

Chorizo cooked at the plancha served in a piece of bread: the choripán is kind of the Argentine hot dog!

Very popular in Argentina, it will be easy to find a choripán . If this gourmet eats often like a snack, it can also serve as a complete meal for the followers of street food .

4. Tamales and humitas

Regional specialities found mainly in the north-west of Argentina, humitas and tamales are foods of Amerindian origin, made from corn.

Prepared with some vegetables, corn and cheese, humitas are then wrapped and cooked in papillote in corn leaves. As for the preparation of tamales , the difference lies in adding meat to the corn texture. A snack that in addition to being excellent, is nutritious and economic!

Main dishes

5. Asado and parrilla

If there is a speciality in Argentina to remember among this selection, it is the famous asado ! More than just a barbecue, it is for the Argentineans a real ritual, an art of living that passes from father to son. Impossible to travel to Argentina without having experienced the experience of asado .

We apologize in advance for vegetarians! Indeed, the Argentinians shave meat and consume it demeanorably. In fact, Argentina is known worldwide for its very high-quality bovine meat.

The rules for a asado successful:

• Only_asador_, the one who prepares the_asado_, has the right to touch the meat! For this preparation is careful and thoughtful: know how long to cook every meat, how much ashes, in which order to put the pieces... ;
• Buying meat on the same day is imperative. In any case, you will always find an open butcher at the corner of the street, even on Sundays;
• Don’t forget to start the tasting by applauding the_asador_ to thank him for his dedication!

And the parilla In all this? It is simply the equivalent of the asado can be found and enjoyed in restaurants. Order your favorite assortment and treat yourself!

6. The milanesa and the Italian influence

Classic in all traditional restaurants in Argentina, the milanesa derives its origin from the colonial past of the country, more precisely from the Italian influence. It is therefore a variant of the famous Italian dish: the Milanese escalope. The Argentinians love it!

Moreover, the high concentration of Italian immigrants has brought back another speciality that we would not necessarily think to find as much in Argentina: pizza. Indeed, you can enjoy it all over the country, and beautiful large parts. And to melt in the mass like a local, eat it up, at the counter!

7. Locro, the typical Argentine stew

Typical and popular recipe, the locro is one of the most representative dishes in the northwest of Argentina. This simmered stew consists of meats and small vegetables: potimarron, leeks, corn, chorizo...

Originally Queshua, this traditional dish was cooked in Argentina well before colonization. Moreover, the locro is the main dish served for lunches and dinners of the two "patriotic days" of the country. Do not miss it when you pass through the mountains of the north of the country!

8. The provoleta

provoleta is an Argentine culinary specialty that will delight cheese lovers. She owes her name to " Provolone "Italian cheese with which it is made. Grilled and melted in a special mussel, this gourmet treat is crunchy on the outside and melting inside. A pure delight!

9. Pastel de papas

Discover the Argentinean version of the potato hash: a typical, spicy and pleasantly scented recipe.

Composed of a grounded meat base and onions, covered with a layer of potatoes and cheese, the “pastel of papas” is a gourmet, simple and effective meal. And even if this dish was not invented in Argentina, there is still a typical recipe that is found throughout the country!

A little sweet

10. Dulce of leche

Uncontournable of Argentine gastronomy, the leche dulce is a very appreciated sweetness of Argentinians and travellers in general. This speciality somehow replaces the spreading pasta that is consumed in France.

Indeed, this kind of milk jam is found throughout the country and in all its forms. Thus, this creamy caramel paste combines many desserts, treats, or simply accompanies breakfast, tartined on bread. Finally, don’t be afraid to miss it: it is usually served in all the hotels and hostels in the country!

11. Alfajores, Argentinian ore

Speaking of desserts made with the famous leche dulce , we present here a gourmet light of Argentine culture: the alfajores .

These biscuits come in the form of two generously baked cakes leche dulce Most of the time. But several variations exist: chocolate glazing, coconut shavings, triple layer of cake... In short, an Argentine culinary specialty that is impossible to miss on your trip!

12. Pasta frolla, the pie of Argentine grandmothers

Spread throughout the country, pasta frolla is a perfect Argentine dessert for a little gourmet break.

Traditionally made on a basis of paste, this softness is then covered with a frosty of quince, sweet potatoes jam, or leche dulce . Then, the pasta frolla is adorned with a damier of paste on top. Eventually, no matter the decline, it’s a delight!

13. Submarino, for a comforting break

You're back in El Chalten, exhausted, after spending the day to slander the patagonian reliefs to admire the majestic Fitz Roy?

Take a gourmet break in the village! Go back to the cafe at the corner of the street to rest your legs and warm you with a good submarino . This hot milk cup is served with a chocolate bar on the top, ready to be submerged and melted gently. The perfect combo with a alfajore On the side!

14. The shockotorta

Chocolate and leche dulce What more? Indeed, shockotorta a everything to seduce the taste buds of the most greedy of us.

If this dessert feigns the appearance of a tiramisu, it is composed in reality of tartiner cheese type philadelphia and combines several layers shockolinas and leche dulce . Very popular in Argentina, the shockolinas are small, dry chocolate biscuits that are really found everywhere. An Argentine culinary specialty that is easy to realize and delicious!

15. Ice, en todo lados

You will have understood it, the sweets are not missing in Argentina. And the one that the Argentinians taste all year round is the ice!

Indeed, there are many glaciers or heladerias all over the country, especially in Patagonia. If they are many, you will find the best in the area. For this, do not hesitate to question the premises.

These are tasty tastes that await you, obviously with leche dulce .

The good news for the most greedy of you: know that in Argentina, it is quite normal to buy ice in hundreds of grams or at kilos!

Food and beverages

16. Salsa chimichurri

Great classic in Argentina, the salsa chimichurri is an aromatic and scented sauce. It is essential to accompany many Argentine dishes and culinary specialties.

In this type of vinaigrette, ingredients like parsley, oregano, garlic and vinegar are found. The perfect combo to accompany beef pieces, black boudins or chorizo during the famous asado . Also exquisite to season your choripán !

17. The incontournable maté

If you travel to Argentina, it is impossible not to experience the ritual of maté. It is in a way the mascot of the country, as we associate the baguette with France and coffee in Colombia.

This traditional drink is prepared with plants yerba maté , which come to the bottom of a bombed container. Then the preparation is covered with hot water, stored by Argentinians in their thermos, often customized. Finally, the maté tastes using a metallic straw called bombilla .

In Argentina, maté is consumed at any time of the day. And above all, he shares. Indeed, this ancestral drink with many benefits is a real institution. Thus, the maté is shifted in the circle to finally return it to the owner who loads it again in water. In short, maté is a mandatory passage to immerse yourself in the Argentinian culture!

18. The fernet, for a successful dance party

If the Argentinians agree with the French as well, it is that they share their joy and their love to appreciate the pleasures of life. Dinner and evening!

If fernet derives its origins from Italy, it accompanies almost every Argentine evening. But above all, he drinks locally. Indeed, this bitter liqueur based on plants blends with coca, not forgetting the most important, ice cubes.

If you spend an evening in immersion with locals, it's common to turn the fernet in a large bottle cut in two and filled with ice. An explosive and misleading cocktail, to drink with moderation!

19. Argentine wines

For wine lovers, Argentinians will be your great friends. Indeed, Argentinian viticulture has succeeded in sizing its place in the world palm. A boom that propelled the city of Mendoza as the eighth world wine capital. Malbec, Torrontés, Cabernet... there are for all tastes and colors.

Not to be missed: the Wine Route, a must-see circuit along the Andes Cordillera. A perfect excursion to taste the best wines in the country while admiring grandiose landscapes!

20. Cerveza

As a good living who respects each other, Argentinians are also great consumers of beer!

In front of a football game (and football, it’s something in Argentina...) or at the bar with friends, you’ll always see someone with a Quilmes by hand. And if Quilmes is the best known, many other handicraft beers taste throughout the country.

Our little advice for beer lovers: go to Patagonia in San Carlos de Bariloche. A wide choice of artisanal beers and very nice pubs await you!

So, what have you ever had the chance to taste among all these Argentine culinary specialties?