Time to Read: 10 minutes
Quick Overview
In Argentina, food is made for sharing, a celebration of friends, family, and life. Beyond the famous asado and empanadas, the country has redefined dishes from around the world and built a cuisine worth traveling for. Here is a tour of the dishes you won't want to miss, from hearty stews to dulce de leche desserts, best enjoyed with a round of mate.
In this guide, you'll find:
- The grilled classics: asado, choripan, provoleta
- Hearty mains: locro, carbonada, milanesa
- Sweets built on dulce de leche
- Where mate fits into it all
Argentina is South America's biggest exporter of wine, but it is also a nation of food lovers, where meals are for sharing and Sunday lunch is a whole-family affair. Argentines put as much passion into their cuisine as into the tango, and they have taken dishes from around the world and made them their own. Make sure you try at least some of these during your trip.
Asado and parrillas
With beef so abundant and affordable, you can enjoy it in every form, but the asado is the best-known method: a barbecue on a scale you have never seen, with a blazing fire, plenty of meat, friends, and wine. The parrilla is the big iron grill that holds the meat, a word sometimes used for the asado itself and also for a steakhouse. It is not only for steak; chicken, lamb, and vegetables all shine this way.
Llama steak
In the northwestern province of Jujuy, llamas are raised for wool, transport, and meat. Leaner than beef with a rustic taste, llama appears as carpaccio, in empanadas, as a stew, or on its own, from fancy restaurants to home-style meals in small country towns, best washed down with an artisan beer.
Carbonada
A hearty beef-and-vegetable stew in a thick broth, carbonada adds sweet potato, potato, bacon, corn, carrot, and pepper, often topped with dried apricots, raisins, or fresh fruit, and sometimes served in a hollowed-out pumpkin grilled asado-style. Every region has its own version, and all are equally filling.
Chimichurri
This green salsa of oregano, parsley, garlic, onion, chili flakes, lemon, and olive oil is everywhere. It looks like pesto but can pack a punch, so go easy if you are not fond of heat.
Choripan
A favorite of football fans and street markets, choripan is a fat pork-and-beef chorizo grilled, butterflied, laid on crusty bread, and slathered with chimichurri, plus caramelized onion, pickled aubergine, or green pepper.
Cordero a la cruz
This Patagonian lamb specialty skewers the meat on a wooden stake set among the flames, giving succulent meat with a crisp crust. Lamb is rare in most of Argentina but thrives in Patagonia, where sheep have grazed for over a century.
Disco
Like asado, disco is a cooking style rather than a dish, using a big shallow wok-shaped pan that can make anything from paella to stew. It originates from Mexico, where old plow discs doubled as cookware. Pollo al disco, chicken simmered with vegetables, is the most popular version.
Dishes with dulce de leche
No mention of Argentine food is complete without dulce de leche, a smooth, creamy caramel of sugar and milk that turns up in irresistible sweets.
Alfajores
Alfajores are filled sugary biscuits, usually with dulce de leche, dipped in coconut and dunked in chocolate, though you'll find berry and other fillings too.
Flan mixto
A dulce de leche custard resembling creme brulee, often served as a sweet antidote to all that grilled meat, taken over the top with extra cream.
Helado
Argentine ice cream is on every street corner, and not just for dessert. Beyond dulce de leche, look for chocolate, berry, and banana.
Medialuna
Smaller, sweeter, and denser than a croissant, the medialuna is a favorite with coffee, tea, or yerba mate.
Empanadas
These pastries are folded over a filling and baked or grilled until golden. Beef is the most popular, but chicken, cheese, tuna, and ham are common too. Empanadas are everywhere, at cafes, food stalls, and restaurants alike.
Faina and pizza
Argentine pizza is in a league of its own: thick-crusted, cheesy, and heaped with fresh tomato sauce, in varieties like ham and pepper, onion, or beef. It often comes topped with faina, a thick chickpea tart, and is eaten with a knife and fork, so plan accordingly if you'd rather not look like a tourist.
Fideos
Another Italian-inspired favorite, fideos means pasta, and here it is rich and generous. Standouts include spinach ravioli, cheese-and-vegetable cannelloni, ricotta agnolotti, and ham-and-mozzarella sorrentino, all under lashings of fresh tomato sauce.
Humita
A dough of ground corn, milk, onion, goat cheese, and spices is folded into a corn husk and steamed. You'll find it as a snack, a main, or tucked into empanadas across the Andean areas.
Locro
Once a poor man's staple, locro is now a beloved festive and winter dish, a hearty casserole of sausage, meat, and beans, sometimes with white corn, squash, or tripe, served with paprika and the spicy, smoky quiquirimichi.
Matambre arrollado
Thin beef rolled around hard-boiled egg, vegetables, olives, and herbs, then boiled, baked, or grilled. A welcome change from big steaks, it is traditionally part of an asado, served as a snack while the rest of the meat cooks.
Milanesa
Thin beef or chicken breaded and fried or baked, milanesa comes topped with fried egg, tomato sauce and cheese, or ham and cheese, usually alongside salad and fries.
Morcilla
Argentina's second most popular sausage is a blood sausage you'll either love or hate, but worth a bite. If you are squeamish, you may also want to know about the offal favorites: sweetbreads, chinchulines (intestines), and rinones (kidneys).
Morron y huevo
One for the vegetarians, though meat lovers enjoy it too: half a bell pepper filled with an egg and grilled over the fire. Simple, easy, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Pastel de papa
Craving something low-key after all that rich food? Pastel de papa is Argentina's shepherd's pie, layering meat and mashed potato with cheese, olives, and boiled egg. A great winter warmer and energy booster.
Provoleta
The Argentine take on provolone: thick discs topped with chili flakes and herbs, grilled until crisp on top and molten beneath. Finish with a little chimichurri.
Yerba mate
You'll encounter mate everywhere in Argentina, though rarely on restaurant menus. It is shared between friends and family in more informal settings, and it pairs beautifully with a host of Argentine dishes. It is something you simply have to try while you are there.
Up Next
Dig into the centerpiece of the table with the history and culture of the asado.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Argentina's most famous dish?
The asado, the country's barbecue, is the best known, closely followed by empanadas.
What is dulce de leche?
A smooth caramel of sugar and milk, used in alfajores, flan, ice cream, and countless other Argentine sweets.
What do Argentines drink with meals?
Wine with meals, and mate shared informally among friends and family throughout the day.
Drink to connect
Bring a taste of Argentina home with a round of mate. Explore our yerba mate and starter kits. #DrinkToConnect
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