1.
Milanesa—The Milanesa is an Argentine classic.
It is sold in nearly every restaurant from fast food to fancy sit down. The
Milanesa (completo) (as in “complete sandwich”) comes on a big slice of French
bread with melted cheese, ham, hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, tomato and a thin
slice of breaded chicken with certain spices/flavors in the breading that I have
yet to discover. Simply put, it’s a pretty delicious chicken sandwich. Although,
I’d like it were there less breading and grease on the chicken itself—but overall
an essential, simple to make and pleasing to everyone.
2.
Dulce de leche—For Americans, this roughly
translates as caramel, but it is less thick a bit sweeter and used way more
frequently. It is incorporated into many types of candy, ice cream, and other
desserts/treats. The Argentines put it on fruit and basically anything else
that they think could be enhanced by it, which is everything. It’s even put on
toast in the morning (yeah, that’s right—caramel toast!). But I can’t say I
blame them and admit to having snuck a spoonful or two in the afternoon after
class. I’ll be leaving room in my luggage for this one.
3.
Gnocchi—A melt-in-your-mouth pasta made of
potato that can be served with any sort of sauce of your choosing (but I always
go for the tomato…). When cooked to perfection, one doesn’t even have to chew
gnocchi, but rather let the texture squish against your tongue and slide gently
down to your stomach. It’s quite filling, so even a “small” serving will do. I
promise. Even though I could probably a boat full of it…
4.
Mate (Pronounced “MAW-te” vs. the actual word “mate”)—Yerba
mate is the name of
the plant from which the Argentines (and other South Americans) derive their
precious drink, mate. Essentially it’s
just a strong and somewhat bitter tea loaded with caffeine that they drink all
day, every day. They drink it for energy just like anyone else drinks coffee,
but it’s a completely different culture (which I have yet to experience).
Instead of relying on some type of Starbucks of mate, the Argentines bring
their own everywhere, including the special mate gourd and bombilla (which
serves as a very special straw/sieve) they drink it from. It doesn’t come in a
convenient little tea bag, rather, it is simply poured into the mate gourd and
steeped. I love tea, so I look forward to partaking in a true mate social
session.
5.
Tarta—This refers to a type of quiche/chicken-pot-pie dish that is somewhat
hard to explain as it is neither of these foods. A torta has a specific type of
crust which can be filled with all types of things, including spinach and
cheese, vegetables, eggs, etc. It’s very filling and of course delicious.
6.
Empanada—Ah the empanada. I have already explained
them in my “Ray Bans and Rosary Beads” entry, but in case you missed it: It’s a
flaky perfect pastry filled with meat, vegetables and or cheese. There are many
different types, but they all maintain the same appearance no matter where you
go. You can get them for $5 (which is just barely more than $1 USD) which could
prove to be dangerous for my figure…
7.
Mantecol—This was described to me by my host
family as a “traditional” Argentine dessert. It’s made mostly of peanuts that
must be mashed into some kind of paste, but then whipped a little into a
different form that gives them a crumbly but “linear texture”—sort of like
shredded wheat, but much smoother than shredded wheat. There is no real
equivalent of it in the US. All I know is I want it all day every day.
8.
Submarino—This is the Argentine equivalent of
hot chocolate. Instead of being prepared by pouring a pocket of chemically
preserved chocolate powder into hot water, a glass of hot/foamy milk is
presented with a package of submarino chocolate. As the name suggests, you
submerge the chocolate in the milk and let it melt in with the milk to create a
rich, delicious drink.
9.
Quilmes—Going on drinks is the national beer,
Quilmes. There are several types of Quilmes, but of the 2 I’ve tried, I found
no discernible difference. There’s nothing fancy about it and it simply tastes
like beer, but it is a nice throwback
on a hot summer day. Or night.
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