Disappointed with Food in Argentina

[thanos336]

Oh boy, it's taken me a long time to get used to Argentine food and I went through the full 5 stages of grief regarding the culinary desert that is local cuisine.

Argentineans seems to be obsessed with soft mushy things with no spices. A hard baggette is "pan duro" worthy of feeding only pigeons, and a hard cheese other than reggianito requires hunting. Crispy fries, nope. Crispy bacon...how bout some floppy pancetta instead? A firm hotdog? Nope. But you can have a nice soft empanada, lomito or triple de miga or boiled paste-like hotdog on any corner.

It seems the only thing they like crispy is their carne, which they leave on the parilla of any asado for an hour until it's a hockey puck just in case someone wants it hot. God forbid they eat luke-warm medium rare meat.

I've had near fights at asados calling people out for "making the best asado" while putting "cero onda" in it. Even cracked pepper wrinkles their noses.

The trick is cultivating your own little islands of flavor little by little. There is a tiny fish market in my neighborhood that is run by a Venezuelan woman. Her husband happens to be Mexican and makes tacos on the side for occasional customers. You would never find this on any google search or PedidasYa app. But they are the most authentic tacos in town.

Flavor exists, but they are not in every restaurant.

Thank you for this.

It reminded me that I recently witnessed and partook in culinary genocide: my neighbour cooked about $300usd of Asado and no so much as a single grain of salt by way of spices and seasoning.Even in Europe, this would cause a civil war.

 

[sergio]

Thank you for this.

It reminded me that I recently witnessed and partook in culinary genocide: my neighbour cooked about $300usd of Asado and no so much as a single grain of salt by way of spices and seasoning.Even in Europe, this would cause a civil war.

Surprised no salt was used. My experience is that a good deal of salt is used in cooking. I remember once watching a cook prepare a chicken breast in a restaurant with an open kitchen. The quantity of salt that he used was astonishing. I have to agree, however, that Argentine cooking is generally plain. It does not fit into the stereotype of Latin American cuisine. Argentines don't care for spicy food. Other than salads, potatoes are the dominant vegetable, especially in restaurants. Some visitors have told me that they were disappointed with Argentine beef. The truth is that in recent years the general quality has declined, apparently due to the partial use of feed lots. Now you have to go to leading parrillas (preferably not that overpriced tourist trap in Palermo), to get high quality beef. On the whole I like the food in Argentina but I recognize that for gourmets it is not especially creative and tends to be repetitive.

 

[wineguy999]

...(preferably not that overpriced tourist trap in Palermo)...

If you're going to make a comment like that, you need to be more specific. I can think of a few that might fit the bill.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Some visitors have told me that they were disappointed with Argentine beef. The truth is that in recent years the general quality has declined, apparently due to the partial use of feed lots. Now you have to go to leading parrillas (preferably not that overpriced tourist trap in Palermo), to get high quality beef. On the whole I like the food in Argentina but I recognize that for gourmets it is not especially creative and tends to be repetitive.

This is exactly what I wanted to say as well...I'm sure there was a time when grass fed argentine beef was easily accessible at an outstanding quality compared to other corners of the world. But many Argentines seem to still be suspended in the belief that their feedlot beef cut need just some iodized salt/heat and is suddenly now worth proclaiming world over as a culinary masterpiece.

Don't get me wrong, I love asados, I love the slow rhythm, I love the truco, the fernet, the mate, the intimate celebratory moment. But I would not call the food spectacular cuisine. It's strange to me that it even needs to be said.

 

[thanos336]

Surprised no salt was used. My experience is that a good deal of salt is used in cooking. I remember once watching a cook prepare a chicken breast in a restaurant with an open kitchen. The quantity of salt that he used was astonishing. I have to agree, however, that Argentine cooking is generally plain. It does not fit into the stereotype of Latin American cuisine. Argentines don't care for spicy food. Other than salads, potatoes are the dominant vegetable, especially in restaurants. Some visitors have told me that they were disappointed with Argentine beef. The truth is that in recent years the general quality has declined, apparently due to the partial use of feed lots. Now you have to go to leading parrillas (preferably not that overpriced tourist trap in Palermo), to get high quality beef. On the whole I like the food in Argentina but I recognize that for gourmets it is not especially creative and tends to be repetitive.

Insightful, thanks. I must make the group aware that my ex wife who I now live near is Argentine, so I have had this rodeo with the plain food before. However when the bland proclivity is mixed with bad quality it makes for a rude awakening which I have experienced in recent days!

Na ma ste

 

[argeiCanuck]

Got it, well thanks for listening. I might have just hit the wrong places in the wrong parts of the wrong town

No you did not.

I like your original authenticity.
Don't fake or conform or change for political correctness BS my a**.

Find quality ingredients and cook at home. It's hard and very difficult to find lots and lots of stuff. But this is the only way.

Argentina is a spectacular retirement home. But food is a problem that I can solve and live with

Don't fall for the crap. They will tell you everything exist and is easy to find here if do research.

 

[argeiCanuck]

In just the same way that people from the US seem quite happy to eat chocolate bars that most of the rest of the world find revolting it's quite possible that Argentine people quite like their food and drink the way it is, thank you very much. And, if the 2023 figures from International Living are anywhere near correct then are the 0.0015% of the population who are expats economically worth adapting mainstream products for?

I do not recall any one requesting adapting mainstream products for expats ,,, or suggesting that Argentines dislike their food.

 

[Ceviche]

I agree . I have only 2-3 issues with Arg. One is terrible food! Its become so bad that i have to travel 2-3 times to Asia every year only for food.

 

[carride]

Here is a recently organized list restaurants

The Ultimate Guide to Argentine Restaurants: Top Spots for Asado, Steak, and More

Explore the best Argentine restaurants for authentic Asado, steaks, and traditional dishes. Find top spots to enjoy delicious Argentine cuisine in these Top 5 Cities: Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Rosario, Bariloche and Ushuaia.

argentineasado.com

 

[carride]

. A hard baggette is "pan duro" worthy of feeding only pigeons, and a hard cheese other than reggianito requires hunting.

You have one of the best cheese producers in your Neuquén area. Ventimigia, which they sell out of their market at the Toscana restaurant probably at a better price than the markets that distribute in CABA and online. Many small cheese makers in Argentina sell superior product which is almost at the same price of the mass produced and tasteless cheese you find everywhere.

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Mauricio Couly montó la Quesería Ventimiglia en Río Negro. Sus creaciones de autor las compran chefs top y recibe ofertas de Rusia y EEUU.

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