Survival Eating in Argentina
By Lorraine Caputo
Mexico has its comida corrida; Central American and Colombia, their comida corriente. Even in Chile, one of the more expensive southern nations, restaurants offer a colación. Other places may call it the menú del día or merienda. All are variations on a theme: the blue-plate special, the cheap meal of the day, costing less than $3. Throughout Latin America you will find it – save rarely in Argentina where it costs over $7. Budget travelers have no hope for a cheap sit-down meal in one of the continent’s costliest countries.
So how can backpackers eat cheaper in Argentina? Many survive their entire stay chowing down nothing but empanadas ($0.60-1 each). A boring proposition. Choose between carne, pollo or jamón y queso. With luck you might find verdura filled with acelgas (swiss chard). How can you beat the cheap-eats doldrums?
Rotiserías, or delis, prepare carry-out food that is fairly reasonably priced. Choices are usually limited to pastas, rotissiery chicken, minutas like milanesas (breaded cutlets) and pizzas. Expect to pay about $4.50-7 for a serving or pizza. Portions are sometimes healthy, large enough for two to share. Major supermarkets also sell prepared food by the kilo. Tenedor libre all-you-can-eat restaurants cost about $7 per person.
The best budget option is to cook in. Many hostels have a kitchen for guests’ use. Campers should have a stove and pot, though some campgrounds have parrillas (grills). Keep a stash of your favorite herbs and spices to add a bit of variety to your diet. Besides salt and black pepper (pimienta), also stock oregano and basil (albahaca), which add an Italian flavor to any recipe. Hot chile (ají picante) and curry are rare in many countries, especially Argentina. Wherever you find it, grab a bit. Add ginger, cinnamon or any other spice to your collection. For no more than a few hundred grams, you’ll become a great road chef.
Traditional easy and quick dishes to prepare are soups and pastas. Create imaginative variations on these with whatever ingredients the local verdulería (produce shop) has on hand.
Lentils and rice is a simple one-pot meal. In butter, sauté diced onion, carrots and potatoes. Add a half-cup of rice and a half of lentils and sauté. Then add two cups of water and herbs (curry is excellent). Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then simmer until the lentils are tender (about 20 minutes), then add salt and tomatoes. For more lentils ideas, visit: http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodstorage/a/lentilstorage.htm.
Polenta is a ground corn much like hominy grits. A half-kilo sack of this Argentina staple costs $0.50-1. Locals serve it with tuco, or tomato sauce. An easy prepartion packing proteins and calcium is to add a sprinkling of herbs and cheese into the mixture. For a hot breakfast, serve it with butter , sugar and milk. The beauty of polenta is it cooks in a minute: just add hot water and stir.
Another quick, easy dish is individual pizzas. Slice buns in half. On the cut side, sprinkle herbs and garlic. Add thinly sliced tomato, cheese and any other topping you’d like. Toss it into a toaster oven or a covered skillet until heated through and the cheese is melted.
These are just a few recipes to help break the Argentine cheap-eats doldrums. Share your favorite recipe!
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