G for gastronomy, H for helado

Most people seem to think that in a month and a half of vida porteña I have just eaten roasted meat and choripan (the famous big sandwich with the argentine sausage and sauces) and drunk Malbec wine. I admit there isn’t a lot more to Argentine gastronomy than their tradition for asado (barbecued meat), but whatever there was, I tried it!

The first day I arrived, Adriana sweetly welcomed me with a tray of facturas (be careful, they are only called this in Argentina!), which are sweet pastries filled with custards and jams and every delightful filling you can think of. They are a big tradition in Italy as well: a touch that made me feel at home at once. Little did I know that facturas were going to be the first of many déjà’vus Argentine gastronomy was going to give me. The major Italian influence in the porteña culture is evident in their dishes: pasta casera (homemade), pizza, pesto, tomato sauce…it was a matter of choosing what I was missing most from my favourite Italian classics and going for it.

Empanadas were new to me. Although in Italy we have various versions of the Puglian Panzerotti, the argentine delights are some calzone-looking pastries that have their signature filling: minced beef spiced with herbs and mixed with olive oil, onions, boiled egg and raisins. Fried or baked, they made a succulent lunch for my days in and out of Spanish school. Where to buy them? The smaller and less fancy the place, the better the empanadas, I found.

The best complement to a nice bottle of red vino, strictly Malbec, is a good plate of picadas to share with friends: platters with a variety of the best chorizos and cured meats, olives, etc. My favourite place to enjoy picadas was La Poesia. With El Federal and Hipopotamo, La Poesia represents history and heritage of its neighbourhood: the wonderful old photographs that decorate the walls are testament to this, adding to the atmosphere a feeling of belonging. The ricotta-stuffed fried ravioli and the pan casero (homemade bread) are the special add-ons to their wonderfully rustic menu.

OK, ok – I’m getting there: the meat. There is nothing like argentine bife de chorizo (steak), chinchulines (insides), salchicha (sausages),every element of a good parrillada (barbecued meat to share) is unforgettable. The scrumptious juiciness will make it forgivable to any stomach, and needless to say, the Malbec is only enriched by a good carne asada!

Not being too much into very sweet flavours, I admit I did not go crazy about alfajores. The double biscuit joined by a layer of dulche de leche and covered in chocolate is the best known Argentine sweet and it has its chocoholic fans all over the world. But for me, dulce de leche was so much better on…ice cream! Believe it or not, for an Italian I am not much of an ice-cream lover. Yet, in Buenos Aires I discovered Freddo. When Agostina, one of my Spanish teachers, suggested I try it, I was sceptical. I am used to the British over-celebration of ice cream –only they could have transformed the classic Oh Sole Mio into the jingle for a Cornetto ice-cream ad! – and I am also used to the best ice-cream you can find:  Italian. However the first time my lips plunged into the coconut and dulce de leche flavour, there was no going back. Freddo became my sin, my fantasy, my secret appointment through the streets of San Telmo.