Asado, Empanadas and the Argentine Table

Smoke from the parrilla drifts over a back garden, and an empanada sits warm in a paper napkin. Argentina has a deep and varied kitchen, and anyone who loves food knows it. From the humble empanada to the asado, it is full of flavour and full of surprises.

Grilled meat sits at the center of it. Argentina is famous for its asado, the traditional barbecue that is a pillar of Argentine life. An asado usually brings together beef, pork and lamb, cooked over an open fire or on a grill. The meat comes off tender and full of flavour, carrying the smoke in every bite.

Herbs and spices matter just as much. Many traditional dishes, empanadas and churrasco among them, are seasoned with a blend that gives them their own particular taste. Oregano, cumin and paprika turn up again and again.

The Argentine kitchen also takes in flavours from abroad. The country has a strong Italian inheritance, and you can taste it in the pizza and pasta eaten all over Argentina. There are strong Spanish and French threads too, along with native ingredients and flavours.

The empanada may be the best loved of all, a savoury pastry stuffed with meat, cheese, vegetables or whatever the cook has in mind. Young and old eat them. They turn up as a snack or a starter, and no party is quite a party without a tray of them.

Churrasco is another favourite, a grilled steak seasoned with herbs and spices. It usually comes with grilled vegetables such as peppers and onions, and with a sauce on the side, most often chimichurri, sharp and green with herbs and vinegar.

Meat is not the whole story. One of the most popular meatless dishes is the empanada de humita, filled with corn, cheese and spices. Grilled vegetables, salads and bean dishes fill out the rest of the table.

No talk of Argentine food is complete without dulce de leche, the sweet, creamy caramel that runs through Argentine desserts. It goes on cakes, pastries and ice cream, and on its own, spread thick over morning toast.

Smoke from the grill, the green bite of chimichurri, a spoon of caramel at the end. A meat lover and a vegetarian can sit at the same Argentine table and both go home full. The fire burns down, the plates go round once more, and somebody is already reaching for the dulce de leche.