Foods to Sample, Argentina

The giant South American nation of Argentina has a proud culinary heritage just crying out to be explored by visitors. Whether you’re in a big city like Buenos Aires or the breathtaking wilderness of Patagonia, you’re bound to find some great food to sample.

For meat eaters, the obvious first choice is a hearty steak. Argentina is famous for its love of beef, and steaks here are often served with only salt and pepper so you can really appreciate the meat. Steak is often a good option if you’re hungry too, as portions tend to be massive.

If you’re hiking around and need something hot to warm you up, check out the thick stew called locro. A favorite in countries along the length of the Andes mountain range, the stew packs in corn, beans, potato and sometimes sausage.

For a quick snack, one of your best options is a choripan. The portmanteau name comes from chorizo or sausage and “pan” which means bread. It’s essentially a sausage in a hunk of baguette, but there are few things better when you’ve had a few drinks. Don’t forget to put some chimichurri dressing on if you like a bit of spice.

Another option for your choripan is to use black pudding sausage instead of normal sausage. In Argentina, sausages made from pig’s blood are known as morcilla, and you’ll see them advertised all over the country.

Next up is the ubiquitous empanada, small pastry parcels filled with meat, vegetables or cheese. Perfect if you get hungry on the go.