country Essentials · 15 foods
Argentina Essentials
A considered first route through Argentina: the foods that carry its everyday habits, celebrations, ingredients, and memory.
Explore all Argentina foods →THE
ESSENTIALS
The complete shortlist
15 foods to know.
Each selection includes the reason it belongs here—so this is a guide, not just a pile of names.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Asado
Grilled beef, the heart of Argentine culture.
Argentina
Empanada Criolla
Beef, olive and egg baked in pastry, crimped differently in every province.
Argentina
Alfajor
Two crumbly biscuits around dulce de leche, the country's default snack at any hour.
Argentina
Chimichurri
Herb and garlic sauce, constant companion to meat.
Mendoza, Argentina
Malbec
The high-altitude Mendoza red that Argentina made its own, poured through every asado.
Argentina
Milanesa
Breaded cutlet eaten weekly at home, ordered napolitana with ham, tomato and cheese.
Argentina
Bife de Chorizo
The thick sirloin cut Argentines order by name, seared over wood embers.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dulce de Leche
Slow-caramelised milk that fills the country's cakes, pastries and breakfast toast.
Argentina
Empanada Árabe
Juicy minced-beef pastry brightened with lemon in a barely-crimped triangle, inherited from Syrian and Lebanese settlers.
Argentina
Mate
Bitter yerba mate shared from a hollow gourd, the everyday drink of Argentine gatherings.
Argentina
Locro
Hearty Andean stew of corn, beans, squash, and meat, central to Argentina’s winter and national-day tables.
Argentina
Humita
Humita en chala
Sweet or savoury corn mixture steamed in husks, a northern Andean staple of Argentina.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Choripán
Choripán mariposa
Grilled chorizo in crusty bread with chimichurri, the essential Argentine football-match and street snack.
Argentina
Matambre
Matambre a la pizza
Thin beef flank rolled with vegetables and herbs, chilled or roasted as a classic Argentine shared dish.
Argentina
Provoleta
Provoleta con orégano
Seasoned provolone grilled until molten and smoky, the indispensable first course of an Argentine asado.