It’s the traditional British post-holiday
question that often leads the conversations with family, friends and colleagues
alike after a week away in the sun.
“Oh how was the food? You never quite know
what the food will be like in these places...”
We’ve
all heard it. Anyhow, I suppose when the week away in Benidorm is replaced with
a trip to the other side of the world it is quite an intriguing question. When
that place is Argentina, world-renowned for its steaks and quality of beef, it’s
a topic high on anyone and everyone’s list of inquisitions.
I’m
not traditionally a foody. I eat and I enjoy what I eat but the food is generally
not a make or break element of any trip I take. As I’ve mentioned a few times
since I’ve been here, in Socratic pensiveness, ‘comida es comida’. You eat it, it fills
the spot, it might give you a nice taste along the way. Anyway this all
accumulates to the fact that from this article you should expect more Gregg
Wallace and less John Torode*.
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| Asado settings... |
I’m
sure there is good history behind this tradition, but to the naked (un-cultured)
Jack Colman eye it’s a shit-load of meat cooked over a fire. For a large majority
of the world’s food-eaters that is all the description needed to get the saliva
drooling (unless you’re a veggie in which case you’re probably crossing
Argentina off on your ‘Places to Visit’ list right now).
The
king of the pack is the beef which is truly melt in the mouth delicious. I even
tweeted about it which takes a lot food-wise. It’s joined by the ever-reliable Chorizo sausage which is beautifully
utilised to make the Chori Pan (mini
chorizo sandwich). A show-stopper of a canapé if ever I saw one. A less
obviously appealing aspect is the morcillas which is the bloody insides of
a pig (goodbye Veggies, thanks for reading) although believe it or not it
tastes really good. Like a more smushed sausage (there’s that killer analysis).
It’s the Cumbia of the Asado – you really
don’t want to enjoy it, but it only leaves you wanting more.
 |
| Pizza on a Fish |
The
only issue with the Assado is that it
is a regular Saturday lunchtime occasion, when throughout my placement I have
been consistently hungover (Lad,Lad,Lad). So as with Pavlov’s Dog I have been
trained to associate Assado with a
queasy stomach and a sense of impending doom. That doesn’t take away the fact
that it’s good stuff and I highly recommend it.
Italian food is major over here and pizza, pasta and the Milanesas
(chicken or beef fillets in breadcrumbs) are frequent dishes. The pizza is
wicked but it’s different. 9/10 times the cheese covers all of the tomato and
so it looks like a cheese pizza and almost 10/10 times each slice will be topped
with an olive. Not complaining but strange nonetheless. Pizza is so popular
they even make a pizza out of a fish. It’s cooked and butterflied before being
covered in tomato sauce and cheese. You think you’ve seen it all until you’re
digging into a pizza on a fish…
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| The dream that is Dulce de Leche ice-cream (feat. mi hermana de Argentina) |
Actually, scrap that. I have enjoyed 99% of everything I have eaten in
Argentina so far, but there’s been one thing that has baffled me just as much
as it has repulsed me. Queso con Dulce.
I mean, where do I start at how wrong this is? A soft, jelly like cheese is
combined with a jelly like jam. The texture of that a lone is inhumane let
alone the combination of cheese and sweetness. Now I know some people will like
the sound of that (Jam and Cheese sandwich fans/freaks) but for me It looks
like something you’d grimace at on the bottom of your shoe. It’s a firm no from
me.
 |
| My student made me a cake, did it have Dulce de Leche in it? You bet your ass it did. |
On
the contrary, I have found something that should be involved in every desert
that is ever served – Dulce de Leche.
This toffee, caramel like substance is an absolute worldie of a sweet condiment
and it has greatly pleased the amount it is utilised here. It’s in cakes, pastries,
sweets and even served with fruit salad. I’m pretty sure they have it in
England too so I recommend tracking it down and getting stuck in. I also had
the pleasure of trying Dulce de Leche ice-cream
which has become my new favourite flavour. A solid 10/10 find.
And
with that I will end this culinary rollercoaster. There’s no doubt that there’s
more elements Argentinean food than this but we don’t have all day so I’ve done
an open-bus tour. If it was London I’ve shown you Big Ben, Buckingham Palace
and then taken you to Peckham (Dulce con
Queso) and then back to the Shard for a grandstand finish. I hope you’ve
enjoyed this culinary education – if it was it’d be a D in GCSE Food Tech – and
if I leave you with one thing, find your local Waitrose, find their fancy
international aisle and pick up some Dulce
de Leche.
¡Come sin vergüenza!
Thanks for reading and for the support,
1000 views in a week is unreal!
*For Masterchef fans that’s
a killer line, for others please ignore and move on.
Here's a quick video of me trying the horror that is Queso con Dulce...
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