Conde Nast Traveler Concierge.com

« Vermont Leaf Advisory: Is It Peak Yet? | Main | Cruise San Francisco Bay with the Locals »

October 04, 2007

Can a Vegetarian Survive in Argentina?

Esquinacarlosgardel_perrinp
That's me with Vanessa Heitner, founder of travel company
Limitless Argentina, at Esquina Carlos Gardel in Buenos Aires for
a tango show, September 20, 2007.

by Brook Wilkinson

If you've noticed that I haven't posted much in the last few weeks, I have a good excuse: I was on assignment in Argentina. I'd been a little concerned about what a vegetarian like me would eat in possibly the only country in the world more obsessed with beef than the U.S. (Argentines eat almost 150 pounds of beef per person per year). Two weeks later, I'm happy to report that I ate, and ate well. Here are some highlights:

Medialuna_perrinpost

Let's start with breakfast, which for an Argentine means a three-bite media luna (after all, they just finished dinner not too long ago). Media lunas (the name means "half moon") come dry, as shown above, or shellacked in sugar. Delicious.

Pizetta_perrinpost_3 There's a large Italian influence in Argentina -- as many Italians emigrated there as to the U.S. -- so you can find an abundance of pasta and pizza, both of which are typically on the menu at parrillas, which specialize mainly in grilled meats. Just be sure to order the right size: Though the price of a pizza on most menus (about US$10) would lead you to believe that it's a single serving, what you actually want is an even cheaper pizzeta (at left). Ah, the joys of traveling to one of the few places where the dollar is still strong!

For more of Argentina's finest meat-free flavors, read on.

The scrumptious meal you see below is the Ensalada Bio at the all-organic and vegetarian restaurant Bio in Buenos Aires' chic Palermo Viejo neighborhood, where your meal comes with homemade brown bread and pumpkin spread.

Biobuenosaires_perrinpost

One advantage of Argentina is that you can drink the water and eat fresh produce throughout the country, unlike many other parts of South America. Here's a salad that was prepared for me at the House of Jasmines, a fantastic hotel owned by actor Robert Duvall and his Argentine wife:

Houseofjasminesalad_perrinp


If dinner's still hours away (an Argentine would never eat before 9 p.m.) and you're feeling peckish, there's always ice cream. Finally, a product of those famous Argentine cows that I could appreciate! There are heladerias all over, but if you're visiting the wine country around Cafayate, stop in at Helados Miranda (Guemes Norte 170), where the owner turns the local reds and whites into these yummy sorbets:

And then there are always empanadas con queso, a popular bite-sized snack that comes fried or baked, as below:

Empanadaconqueso_perrinpost_2

Just make sure you save room for dessert, because Argentines have a major sweet tooth. You'll find dulce de leche -- a caramel-like syrup of sweetened milk, made famous in the States by Haagen-Dazs -- everywhere: in or on top of ice cream, as a spread for toast, flavoring cookies and candy, and in the case of my dessert at the House of Jasmines, atop a thick slab of frozen chocolate cake:

Frozenchocolatecake_perrinp

One final restaurant recommendation: If you find yourself in the northwestern city of Jujuy (pronounced Hoo-Hooey), head to Madre Tierra for lunch or dinner. I arrived just in time to wolf down the prix-fixe lunch before catching my flight to Buenos Aires (well, actually waiting in the Jujuy airport for five hours and consequently missing my connecting flight in the capital, but that's another story). I was served a salad of crudites, spinach lasagna, vegetable soup, banana cake, and apple juice -- much more than I could possibly eat, all for under US$7. The kitchen was also preparing baskets full of the same dishes for local office workers, who came in to pick up their daily rations or had them delivered, while the bakery in front did a brisk business in whole-wheat breads.

In conclusion, if you're heading to Argentina -- vegetarian or not -- buon appetito!

Comments

Kinda pales in comparison with my sophisticated lunch of processed turkey on rye with pickles.

click to post a comment >
Wendy Perrin
Travel tips from Condé Nast Traveler Magazine's Wendy Perrin. 
Freebies forbidden here! You can trust me because I accept no discounts or payments from any travel company. Learn more.
Get in Touch
wendy_perrin@cntraveler.com
Twitter: wendyperrin
Travel question? Ask Wendy.
Air Fares and Routes
Air Fare Search
Airline Seat Pros and Cons
Bathrooms Worldwide
Business Travel Advice
ChowHound
Currency Converter
Doctors Overseas
English Newspapers Worldwide
European Hotels
European Road Signs
Flight Arrival Times
Frequent-Flier Mileage Advice
Holidays Around the World
Hotel User Reviews
Priceline Bidding Advice
Travel Health Advice
Arthur Frommer Online
Boarding Area
BootsnAll Travel
Cheapest Destinations (Tim Leffel)
Consumerist
The Cranky Flier
The Cruise Log
The Daily Traveler
Don's Place (Don George)
Ed Perkins (Smarter Travel)
Elliott (Chris Elliott)
Family Travel: See The World With Your Kids
Flyertalk
Freakonomics
Gadling
The Gate
Globorati
Going Places
Peter Greenberg
Gridskipper
HotelChatter
Hotel Hotsheet
Jaunted
Joe Sent Me (Joe Brancatelli)
Joe Sharkey At Large
Johnny Jet
Killing Batteries
Lonely Planet Travel Blog
The Middle Seat (Scott McCartney)
Rick Steves: Blog Gone Europe
Seat2B (Joe Brancatelli)
This Just In
Today in the Sky
TravBuddy
Travel Savvy Mom
Treehugger
Upgrade: Travel Better
Vagabonding (Rolf Potts)
Vagabondish
Viator Travel Blog
View From the Wing
WorldHum
Published in August 2008. Prices and other information were accurate at press time, but are subject to change. Please confirm details with individual establishments before planning your trip.
Traveler Magazine

My Concierge

My Concierge.com

Planning a trip? Start here
  • Save the information you find while researching your next vacation
  • Create a Trip Plan with your favorite hotels, restaurants, and more
  • Upload and share photos with fellow travelers
Join Now Learn More ›

Already a member? Sign In

Advertisement

Advertisement

I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Mobile Terms and Conditions.

Concierge Mobile: Save our travel info to your mobile

I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its User Agreement, Privacy Policy, and Mobile Terms and Conditions.

Subscribe to our free RSS feeds:

Get the latest destinations picks, hot hotel lists, travel deals and blog posts automatically added to your newsreader or your personalized homepage.

Learn More ›

Special Advertisement

Contests & Sweepstakes

Omniture events in request: