Argentine cuisine

Empanadas

Are a mine field, you like what you like right? Wrong! Some empanadas you will not like. If you don't like sugar, are diabetic or on a mad Atkins gluten free bullshit diet you will struggle.

First question is do you prefer fried or oven baked? How do you know till you try all types? You fucking don't. It takes a while to find your perfect empanada, even if you are staying in the same place for a while.

The best are found in the most obscure places, dodgy corner shops, places that aren't even bakeries! I mean you get a huge basket of them in Juyjuy or Salta for 36 pesos and they are amazing, small, compact, full with ingredients and do exactly what they need to do. You might pay a hundred pesos in BA for a dozen, maybe more. But when you buy them from the old grandma on the street that sells out by midday because they are so scrumtious, you gotta get in on that action.

You have the main street shops that sell empanadas, chipas etc not mentioning names, but they are like comparing the best dish your mom used to make you to how you cook that dish, generally crap.

Myself, I like empanadas with potato, peas and turnip or little cubes of meat, you only get these in the north, well mostly, but in the south I like chicken and leek with cream and parsley.

I stayed away from fried empanadas for 2 years but I went to a place the other day and they were so good at making empanadas they sold everything except 7 fried empadadas cubitos carne, (cubes of meat), I bought them as I had too for a party ...... oh my good god, the best... I wanted to leave early with them in a doggie bag (something else that you should do in argentina, its fucking rude taking things back you brouth to a house.... don't even dream of taking pre opened drinks to a party either, just a little tangent but I feel valid!)

Locro

Eaten on 25th May traditionally, can be great can be horrid. For me with chorizo is horrid as you get the fat and all the grease on the top like a skin but without chorizo it is a delight if creamy. It is a stew with corn, potatos, beans and spices, proper yummie, without the fucking chorizo

Cazuela de Cordero (Lamb Stew)
This by far for me is one of the best dishes I have eaten on holiday, traditional ceramic pot filled with super juicy falling off the bone lamb in a guiso (stew) of mini potatos carrots and onions, again this, (sorry southerners) was in the very north of Argentina, the Llama stew too was superb, the llama salami better still. One little tip though guys, when you buy these artesenal (homemade) jams and salamis and all that, do not expect them to last your trip, you should eat them as soon as you buy them. There is no health and safety in some of these amazing places you will visit, well not much anyway, and I like it like that sometimes.

Matambre de Cerdo ............ is the best
It doesn't exist in some countries, I don't know why.
If you like bacon, if you like bacon sandwiches, if you like pork scratchings, in fact if you are a pig eating lover, this is the nirvana for you. Its pig cut in the unconventional way, side on, so there aren't chops or slices there is a massive huge mega slice of sideways bacon with a little fat on it, (which I prefer), think of a massive fred flintstone size piece of bacon, thats it. Smash it with persil, chimichuri (which is a mix of spices that are more argentinian than Maradona) throw it on the parrilla (grill), make sure the layer of fat is crispy and voila, my favourite argentinian food. You can have matabre de vaca (cow bacon for what of a better word), but it isn't as good. I am told however that soaking the matanbre de vaca in milk before cooking makes it nicer, but I don't care, metambre de cerdo for me or go home!