I've made a decision that the next city or town I move to needs to have a decent Latin population. Not just Mexican and Central American, either. There has to be enough of an Argentine base that the local latin market will never run out of La Saltena empanada tapas, Havana dulce de leche, or Materva Yerba Mate Soda. (or any form of yerba mate for that matter).
For those of you not familiar with Argentine culinary delicacies, let me give you a crash course.
Empanadas are stuffed pastry filled with anything from ham and cheese to ground beef, olives, hard boiled eggs, and raisins
- or my family favorite corn in a white sauce. I like to prepare the meat filling and keep it frozen for use whenever I'm too lazy to cook anything else. Therefore, I like to stock my freezer with pre-packaged tapas (dough disks you stuff). God forbid I actually have to roll the dough myself. Talk about exhausting! (I did that once with my nonna A. and trust me it took all night.) So, I always buy the Argentine imported brand La Saltena because they make different types of dough for deep frying or baking. And whenever I have to make the corn empanadas for family functions it's easy to arrange them in an assembly line for my cousins to help out with.
Dulce de leche is the Argentine version of caramel - only it's milkier and smoother. But just as sweet. It's mostly spread on media lunas (croissants) and other factura (pastries). And of course, it's used as the filling in alfajores (cookie sandwiches traditionally covered in powdered sugar or chocolate.) Because it is a traditional dessert in Argentina, there are many versions of it and many brands. But there is only one I ever ask people to bring back - Havana. (Yes, like the capital of Cuba.)
And I'm sure most people are familiar with yerba mate by now because it's become so popular that we even keep a canister full of it in the office kitchen. (And I swear I never put it there.) It's an herbal beverage made from the mate plant found in the northern province of Misiones (by the Iguazu Falls). It's known for it's many health benefits because it's an anti-oxidant, a hunger-suppressant, and a natural stimulant better than caffeine. But for Argentines it's a traditional social beverage to share within an extended or close-knit group of friends and family. Everyone drinks out of gourd and Bombilla (straw). Sounds a bit unsanitary to share with a bunch of people but it's rude not to accept it.
I drink it in tea-bag form from brands like Guarani - or as a carbonated beverage created by Materva soda. Interestingly enough, Materva was created in Cuba, not Argentina, Uruguay or Paraguay. Looks like Che Guevarra had a bigger influence on Cuba than just helping with the socialist revolution.
Hmm . . . Well, luckily I don't have to go to Cuba or Argentina for any of the goodies above. All I have to do is walk three blocks down the street.
For those of you not familiar with Argentine culinary delicacies, let me give you a crash course.
Empanadas are stuffed pastry filled with anything from ham and cheese to ground beef, olives, hard boiled eggs, and raisins
- or my family favorite corn in a white sauce. I like to prepare the meat filling and keep it frozen for use whenever I'm too lazy to cook anything else. Therefore, I like to stock my freezer with pre-packaged tapas (dough disks you stuff). God forbid I actually have to roll the dough myself. Talk about exhausting! (I did that once with my nonna A. and trust me it took all night.) So, I always buy the Argentine imported brand La Saltena because they make different types of dough for deep frying or baking. And whenever I have to make the corn empanadas for family functions it's easy to arrange them in an assembly line for my cousins to help out with.Dulce de leche is the Argentine version of caramel - only it's milkier and smoother. But just as sweet. It's mostly spread on media lunas (croissants) and other factura (pastries). And of course, it's used as the filling in alfajores (cookie sandwiches traditionally covered in powdered sugar or chocolate.) Because it is a traditional dessert in Argentina, there are many versions of it and many brands. But there is only one I ever ask people to bring back - Havana. (Yes, like the capital of Cuba.)
And I'm sure most people are familiar with yerba mate by now because it's become so popular that we even keep a canister full of it in the office kitchen. (And I swear I never put it there.) It's an herbal beverage made from the mate plant found in the northern province of Misiones (by the Iguazu Falls). It's known for it's many health benefits because it's an anti-oxidant, a hunger-suppressant, and a natural stimulant better than caffeine. But for Argentines it's a traditional social beverage to share within an extended or close-knit group of friends and family. Everyone drinks out of gourd and Bombilla (straw). Sounds a bit unsanitary to share with a bunch of people but it's rude not to accept it.
I drink it in tea-bag form from brands like Guarani - or as a carbonated beverage created by Materva soda. Interestingly enough, Materva was created in Cuba, not Argentina, Uruguay or Paraguay. Looks like Che Guevarra had a bigger influence on Cuba than just helping with the socialist revolution.
Hmm . . . Well, luckily I don't have to go to Cuba or Argentina for any of the goodies above. All I have to do is walk three blocks down the street.
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