10-Day Argentina
Itinerary

Asado

Argentina's sacred ritual — not merely a meal but a multi-hour ceremony presided over by the asador; prime cuts of beef ribs, chorizo, morcilla and offal slow-cooked over quebracho hardwood embers on a parrilla grill; the crust is caramelised, the interior blush-pink; served with chimichurri and a Malbec.

Empanadas

Salta's empanadas are the benchmark — hand-crimped pastry pockets of beef, potato, egg and olives, fried or baked; each Argentine province has its own formula, but the saltena version with its raisin-sweet filling is the one food anthropologists write about; eaten by hand, never with a fork.

Choripán

Argentina's perfect street food — a split crusty marraqueta roll filled with a grilled chorizo sausage split down the middle and slathered with chimichurri; sold at every parrilla and fútbol stadium; what the hot dog is to New York, the choripán is to Buenos Aires — except better in every way.

Medialunas

Buenos Aires' answer to the croissant — smaller, crescent-shaped pastries glazed with a sticky honey syrup that creates a lacquered sheen; consumed at every café counter with a cortado; the medialuna de manteca (butter) versus the grasa (lard) debate is a genuine Buenos Aires pastime.

Milanesa

Argentina's working-class masterpiece — a thin cut of beef pounded flat, crumbed in breadcrumbs and shallow-fried to a golden crust; served napolitana-style with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella; every Argentine grandmother has a recipe, and every Argentine believes theirs is the best.

Dulce de Leche

Argentina's national obsession — a thick, bronze caramel made by slow-cooking sweetened milk for hours until it reaches a spreadable, fudge-like consistency; smeared on toast, sandwiched in alfajores, dolloped on pancakes; Argentines consume it in quantities that alarm nutritionists and delight everyone else.