Argentina Local Custom Tips by ptitetoile

Culinary specialities!

Argentina is famous for its beef...but there are different ways to enjoy it and there are also some other great things to eat!!!! Here are all the specialities I tasted :

-Empanadas (beef, chicken, ham, cheese...)
-Tamales (corn and meat ball in a corn envelop) --> My favourite!
-Humita (empanadas with corn)
-Vacio (piece of beef)
-Bife de lomo (piece of beef)
-Bife de chorizo (piece of beef)
-Nocci con peceto (pasta with meat)
-Charrusco (piece of beef)
-Alfajor (biscuit)
-Flan con dulce de leche (flan with a kind of caramel)
-Matambre parrilla (beef)
-Picada (set of different meat)
-Estafado de lama (lama meat!)
-Quinoa (vegetables/corn mixture)
-Matambre portuguesa/milanese (thin slice of beef with sauce : tomato/onion or tomato/cheese)
-Guiso (lentil mashed)
-Sorrentinos (giant raviolis)

Organisation of the streets in quadras

In Argentina, the streets of the towns/cities are organised in quadras : they cross each other perpendiculary, forming a square housing scheme called "quadra" : each quadra represent 100 meters = 100 numbers (even if there are less houses). So it is easy to locate a place by counting the number of quadras!
Most streets are in one direction! So when circulating in car, you have to know which street is in which direction (often is one on two)

Argentinian dessert : the alfajor

An alfajor is a classic Argentinean cake using dulce de leche. I loved it and ate them as dessert or for the tea-time!

I will look for similar thing in Belgium but I am not sure to find as good as this one!! Maybe should I try the recipe I found on Internet :

1 1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups flour
6 eggs, yolks and whites divided
1 tablespoon anise liquor
6 tablespoons sugar
Dulce de leche to taste

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Blend butter, flour, egg yolks, and anise into a dough.

Divide dough into 6 balls and flatten each to make a thin dough disk. Cook separated on a buttered cookie pan in a hot oven.

Cover one disk with as much dulce de leche as you want and put one on top of the other with dulce de leche between each one to make a tall cake.

Cover completely with a meringue made with the egg whites and sugar whipped into a firm foam. Put into a preheated 425° F oven to just slightly golden the meringue top, about 10 minutes.

Refrigerate and serve.