Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Comida tipica de Sud America:
This part of the blog Kelly has allowed me to write, as everyone knows Kelly's definition of daring food is eating both burger and bun in unison! Here are a few of the things that we ate and drank in South America, and before you ask I'm not sure which one of them was harbouring Kelly's parasite, but if it was done on a ratio basis it was more than likely a helado (ice cream)
Empanadas- Deserve their own section as they are a staple part of a budget travellers diet. There is also the element of excitement as you bite into one not really knowing what it is you ordered, whether it will burn your mouth off and how soon you will be seeing it again.
Basically a pasty but with different fillings such as cheese, ham, beef, chicken, onion and many more. The best ones were in Chile and contained minced beef in a sauce, onion, half an egg and an olive, inexplicably with the stone still in!
Argentina
Steeeeeeaaaaaakkkkk! Steak here is amazing, maybe it's the size, the succulence, or the fact it's so cheap it just tastes superior. Bife de Chorizo is the most common cut in restaraunts, I sampled it in Buenos Aires on our first night. We quickly learnt that one would have been enough between us but, on that first evening, I battled through all 600 grams of it valiantly and came through unscathed.
Choripan- Chorizo-like sausage cooked on BBQ's in the street. Like a king among hot dogs.
Dulce de Leche- literally means sweet milk, or to me, sickeningly sweet milk spread, I think the recipe consists of condensed milk, sugar and another bag of sugar for good measure. Some of the hostel breakfasts consisted solely of stale bread and dulce de leche, sometimes minus the dulce de leche. Surprisingly, Kelly was not a big fan!
Mate'- Very bitter tasting hot drink, part of everyday life in Argentina. People carry huge thermos flasks full of hot water and a bag of mate everywhere, We didn't meet one person who did not drink it! Drank in a cup, through a metal straw with the mate leaves in bottom. Everybody shares the same cup and straw, when you are passed the cup you should never touch the straw with your hands and finish the whole cup, if you don't want any more just say, "nada mas" and you will be missed out next time round. A very sociable experience, the mate also stops you feeling hungry so you can last the hours between lunch and Argentine dinner time (about 11 pm)
Our friends Lolo and Agostina bought me my own cup and straw as a present, might be a bit expensive to import the mate to the UK though!
Fernet- Bitter Italian herb drink the Argentines have taken as their own. At first tastes like medicine and takes alot of getting used to. To start off with, you have a tiny bit in a glass then fill with coke and ice, until you can become a real Argentine man and have half and half!
Alfajores- The best biscuit ever! Two chocolate biscuits (or are they cakes?!) with a layer of dulce de leche, in the middle, cementing them together, all covered in rich dark chocolate. Deeeeeeeeeelish. Lolo and Agustina introduced us to the best in Argentina, decadently wrapped in gold: Havana's. Hopefully they will start importing to the UK!
Peru-
Ceviche- Aaaaaah Ceviche, how I miss you. When I first heard of Coastal Peru's national dish......raw fish with lemon juice, chilli, onion and coriander I was apprehensive. However, after my first taste in our hostel in Cerro Azul I was hooked. Really fresh, tasty and surprisingly good for a hang over, a far cry from a full English.
Chicharrones- What us westerners call Calamari, and in Peru sublime. A plate full of ceviche and calamari with tartar sauce and a cerveza hielo (cold beer), my idea of heaven!
Anticuchos- BBQ'd marinated beef hearts on skewers, sounds strange but very tasty and cheap, texture like fillet steak. Eat with your nose because the smell is awesome! (Kelly even liked them, but she wont admit it.)
Alpaca- In Peru they have Alpaca (like a Llama) everything: jumpers, gloves, burgers, curries, steaks etc. A well known fact that tastiness increases with cuteness.
Pisco- Brandy like, clear drink made from grapes. Alot of contention as to whether it originated from Peru or Chile, but Peru has a town called Pisco so I know who I would put my money on. Peruvians drink it in shots with water to wash it down. Tourists drink it in cocktails such as the Pisco Sour or Piscola but a local told us that makes them laugh as they associate these drinks with gay people.
Chile-
Completo/Italiano- Shamefully some of the best food we ate in Chile, but we were poor ok! The Completo is a hot dog with tomatoes, onions and various other ingredients but the best is the Italiano. Hot dog with mounds of fresh tomato, avocado and mayonnaise (Italian flag if you have not guessed yet!) Impossible to eat in a civilised way, damn tasty and two of your five a day!
Seafood soup- I was recommended to give this dish a try at the central Fish Market in Santiago, which I did on my birthday, with a small headache from the revelry of the night before. Unfortunately, it's not good for a hangover like the Ceviche! Basically, I was served a bowl full of clear soup with a mound of seafood, of which I could only name two things (with little conviction!) Maybe I had a bad one? Maybe it would have been better in different circumstances? As it stood, definitely not a favourite of mine!
- comments
Webbie! Yay for Mat's first blog...nommmmmmm
Howard Very interesting. I needn't have Googled Alfajores had I read this before looking at the photos. You don't have to be Hercule Poirot to understand why Matthew likes Ceviche so much.
nic You should change careers and become a chef or food critic lol! Great blog except for the Alpaca (How could you with such a cute face).
CLAUDIA Alucinante. Tengo hambre ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alison I love the food journey you have taken us on! Pics are great too...x
John Mat, your excitement for filling your stomach comes through pretty clearly - I just think of how you stopped talking to eat mussels with full concentration, practically not breathing for about 15 minutes at Elliott Stables in Auckland, just to maximize your culinary journey. It's a close call if you should take over the lion share of writing this blog!