Food

[bexdreiling]

I will be going abroad next fall and I am trying to figure out which South American country to go to. I am a vegetarian and I would like to go where this will be least offensive. Can anyone tell me what types of food people eat in Argentina (or other countries in South America)?

 

[Lamb]

I will be going abroad next fall and I am trying to figure out which South American country to go to. I am a vegetarian and I would like to go where this will be least offensive. Can anyone tell me what types of food people eat in Argentina (or other countries in South America)?

Being a vegetarian in Argentina is difficult, youll get some surprised stares and a lot of eggplant for dinner (grilled, roasted, a la pizza, you name it, but its always eggplant). When eating out i mostly lived on pizza, or a simple pasta dish if the sauce didnt have meat. Its doable but youll have to cook a lot yourself (which isnt necessarily a problem if you like cooking, veggies are everywhere and cheap). When i went to Chile i found it to be a bit easier, and people more understanding. I went to have lunch with friends at some cheap, not very interesting place, and the waitress without me asking it informed me the dessert contained gelatine. After the laughs and blank stares of Buenos Aires, i was pleasently surprised by that. I think in all of South America meat is a pretty big part of food, so just count on that. Ive never been in the north of South America but i hear the fruit is fantastic, which for me as a veggie would be great. Argentina has very very good icecream though, and i loooove pizza.

 

[Joe]

In Ecuador (Cuenca) I've seen several vegetarian restaurants. Many restaurants serve a lunch special for between (US$1.50 - $3) with soup, main, desert and beverage. Some of the vegetarian restaurants also have a special. The desert serving is very small, 1/3 the size of an Argentinian desert helping and 1/10 the size of an American one. But the other courses are generous. There's also a Grant's Buffet here - but the last time I went the Ecuadorian version of AFIP had plastered over it for non-payment of taxes.

In BA there are a lot of buffets that charge by weight were you can go vegetarian. Some of these buffets are vegetarian only.

 

[bexdreiling]

Being a vegetarian in Argentina is difficult, youll get some surprised stares and a lot of eggplant for dinner (grilled, roasted, a la pizza, you name it, but its always eggplant). When eating out i mostly lived on pizza, or a simple pasta dish if the sauce didnt have meat. Its doable but youll have to cook a lot yourself (which isnt necessarily a problem if you like cooking, veggies are everywhere and cheap). When i went to Chile i found it to be a bit easier, and people more understanding. I went to have lunch with friends at some cheap, not very interesting place, and the waitress without me asking it informed me the dessert contained gelatine. After the laughs and blank stares of Buenos Aires, i was pleasently surprised by that. I think in all of South America meat is a pretty big part of food, so just count on that. Ive never been in the north of South America but i hear the fruit is fantastic, which for me as a veggie would be great. Argentina has very very good icecream though, and i loooove pizza.

Thank you your post was extremely helpful! I will most likely be living with a host family, do you know what the average family makes for meals at home in Argentina or Chile?

 

[ajoknoblauch]

I am not a vegetarian, but there is plenty of good vegetarian food, and ingredients for good vegetarian food, in Argentina. I have several Argentine friends who are or have been vegetarians, and they say the hardest part is the social pressure to consume red meat in a country where the asado is an institution. Remember also that carne means "beef" here, and chicken, pork, etc. are something else, so be careful what comes in your pasta sauce. If you are living with a family, it may be very awkward to try to adhere to a vegetarian diet.

 

[nlaruccia]

I was a vegetarian for nineteen years. I never had a problem finding vegetarian or even vegan food in restaurants here. There has been an explosion of vegetarian and macrobiotic restaurants and cafes in the last few years. There are so many sandwich/salad/wrap eateries in Palermo, Barrio Norte, Recoleta and Microcentro that it's not even funny. It's become fashionable. However, I always found it difficult being a vegetarian whenever I was invited to eat at someone's house. They would always have empanadas de carne, asado w/o vegetables, jam and cheese sandwiches de miga, and I would always end up eating the only non-vegetarian dish they would prepare. A lettuce, tomato and onion salad. Then I would have to eat dinner when I got home later.

 

[Rich One]

I have a vegerarian friend and he become socially isolated, no one invites him for the asados, we go to the tenedor libre and he ends up eating only salads for $100...!! no pizza either for the cheese

 

[nlaruccia]

It's ridiculous that salads are the most expensive item on typical restaurant menus. How can a salad cost $60 pesos? The Chinese tenedor libres and rotiserias all over the city have lots of really good hot vegetarian meal and not just cold salads.

 

[stephensonle]

Tons of vegetarian options here, and even some vegan ones. You'll also find health food stores with a wide selection of nuts and dried fruits, plus Barrio Chino has about everything you could ever want to buy.

Meals typically have some kind of meat in Argentina. Pizza, pasta, and milanesas (chicken or veal pounded thin, breaded, and deep fried) are common, though you can get milanesas made of soy and pumpkin! Tartas and empanadas are almost always available without meat (pumpkin, humita, onion and cheese, leeks, etc). Plus, there's good ol' end-of-the-month lentil stew (which will probably have meat in a restaurant, so you should check).

You may want to scope out restaurants in advance, and always always always ask if the dish contains any meat. On occasion, something might still come with ham tucked inside.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

Despite the fact that in better neighbourhoods and the city centre have good veggie offerings, the traditional family offering will be meat heavy. If you are with a host family you should let them know well in advance you are vegetarian. The price of vegetables, believe it or not, rises and falls with the tide here. A few weeks ago I paid 45 pesos for a kilo of tomatoes, on saturday I paid 18. So the amount and variety of veg that a typical family will buy changes depending on price and availability.

Staying with a host family sounds like you are going to be dependent on them rather than buying your own food?