What to eat Uruguay? culinary specialties and gastronomy

With almost 12 million heads of cattle for less than 3.5 million inhabitants, it is needless to say that beef is central to the local cuisine. Uruguayans consume no less than 45 kg of beef per year and per capita. There are also good cheeses: cuartirolo, colonia and dambo, emmental, gruyere, parmesan, provolone and sardo (a kind of pecorino). On the other hand, there is less opportunity to eat fish and seafood. Seafood is most often found in Colonia del Sacramento, Punta del Este and Punta del Diablo. Fish is most often cooked a la plancha or in breadcrumbs. Among the most common game, partridges, wild ducks, pheasants and goshawks are found for game birds; and rabbits, hares, capybaras (large mammal rodents), deer and wild boars for game animals.

As far as vegetables are concerned, there are potatoes in every sauce, but also tomatoes, peppers, carrots, squash, cabbage, onions, corn, etc. Rice is consumed quite commonly, but we note above all the importance of wheat which is found in pasta and pizzas, but also in a multitude of breads, pastries and cakes. Although not very spicy, Uruguayan cuisine makes generous use of garlic, bay leaves, parsley, oregano and paprika, not to mention chili pepper, ají in South American Spanish.

In Uruguay, breakfast(desayuno) is eaten from 7-8am, and is usually made up of coffee with milk, bread with butter, jam and often mate. At noon, for lunch(almuerzo), we eat meat, accompanied by a guarnición: potatoes, rice or salad. Lunch is taken relatively late, around 1:30-2:00 pm. Many Uruguayans adhere to the tradition of meriendia, around 5pm. In the past, this snack was taken by the workers of the pampas at 11am. Today it is a kind of snack with hot drinks and pastries. Dinner(cena) is rarely taken before 8:30 pm. In the restaurant, the room fills up from 9:30 pm.

As an appetizer we order the picada, a large board with salami, cheese, olives, chips and salted peanuts, all accompanied by bread. As an appetizer, matambre relleno is often served, made with thin slices of beef rolled around a stuffing of hard-boiled eggs, cheese and small vegetables. The whole thing is tied up, boiled and then eaten cold in slices. The tongue with vinaigrette(lenguaa la vinagreta) is a typical entrée on the menu of Uruguayan restaurants: the cold beef tongue is served with a light vinaigrette with parsley, onion and chopped hard-boiled egg. Of Spanish origin, pescado en escabeche is a preservation method where fish is fried and then preserved in a mixture of vinegar and oil with onions, carrots, garlic and pepper.

Grilling is the center of the table in Uruguay. The terms asado and parrillada are used interchangeably. Theasado is a fairly general technique of cooking over the coals. The most common method is grilling, but the meat can also be placed vertically on the coals, with a frame(asador) that is shaped like a cross(asado a la cruz). There is also theasadocon cuero, where the beef is cooked with the skin on, giving it a very special flavor. In Uruguay, the term "asadoal horno" is sometimes used to describe meat cooked in a wood-fired clay oven(horno de campo).

Parrillada is more commonly referred to as grilled meat(parrilla), especially in restaurants. There are a variety of meats (beef, giblets and sausages such as chorizo and black pudding). Giblets are popular, such as chinchulines (stuffed intestines) and riñones (kidneys). There are two types of sausages: chorizo -different from Spanish chorizo-, which is similar to a spicy sausage, a mixture of cow and pig meat, and morcilla, a black pudding made of pig's blood, with onion and condiments. In some parrilladas, ternero (veal) meat is also used. Unlike Argentina, cordero (lamb) is rare in Uruguay, due to the omnipresence of beef. Chicken is found, especially in the form of pamplonas, chicken breast stuffed with a mixture of ham, cheese, olives, etc. Game is also common.

Many sauces are served with grilled meats, the most common being chimichurri, made with parsley, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, oil and vinegar. Also very popular is the salsa criolla, which consists of chopped tomatoes with onions and oil. More commonly served with hamburgers and hot dogs, picantina is a spicy sauce similar to mayonnaise.

The chivito is the local version of the hamburger, found in every street stand and small restaurant for locals. It consists of a grilled beef steak (not hamburger) that is tucked between two slices of bread, lettuce and tomatoes. It is seasoned with mustard, ketchup or mayonnaise. The chivito can also be eaten without bread, in which case it is called al plato. The most popular version is the Canadian chivito, with cheese and bacon. It is often served with French fries. The choripán is a crossword for "chorizo" and " pan " (bread) in the form of a sandwich made of grilled chorizo with mayonnaise, ketchup, tomato, lettuce, onions. The pancho is the local hot dog, introduced by German immigrants.

The influence of Italian cuisine is very important in Uruguay and almost 40% of the population has Italian origins. So, not surprisingly, the locals love capelletti, tortellini, lasagne, cannelloni, ravioli and spaghetti. They even celebrate the dia del gnocchi (sometimes written ñocchi) on the 29th of each month. It is customary to slip a bill under your plate to bring luck and prosperity. Pizza is also very popular and you will have the opportunity to taste it in every region. Polenta is also very popular, and of course, fainá, a kind of dense polenta made from chickpea flour that is cut into slices.

Salsa caruso is a sauce made with fresh cream, mushrooms, cooked ham and cheese - sometimes with walnuts - that accompanies cappelletti, also known as caplèt, from Emilia-Romagna in Italy. These are egg pastas stuffed with meat or cheese and folded into the shape of "little hats", as the Italian name suggests. Finally, the escalope Milanese, or milanesa, is a must in Uruguay. It is always one of the cheapest dishes on the menu and is regularly offered on the daily menu. The milanesa a la napolitana (not from Naples) is filled with tomato sauce, sliced ham and mozzarella. The milanesa a caballo is topped with an egg on top of the meat.

Of Spanish origin, empanadas are made throughout the Southern Cone of the continent. It is a kind of turnover stuffed with meat, cheese, peppers, etc. They are sold for a very low price per piece and can be eaten hot or cold. Another Iberian dish, puchero, is a very complete stew with different pieces of meat (loin, marrow bone, bacon), cabbage, corn, rape, onion, celery, carrot, sweet potato, squash and potatoes. Possibly of Argentine origin, guiso carrero is a dish in sauce with potatoes, sweet potato, noodles, squash, onion, tomato, beans and different cuts of meat. The torta pascualina is a pie made with wheat flour, stuffed with spinach and/or chard and egg, traditionally prepared for Easter.

Congrio (conger eel) is used to make caldillo, a potato and onion soup. Other fish on the menu are sea bass(corvina), tuna(atún) and sole(lenguado). Inland, in the towns next to the rivers - especially near the Negro and Yí rivers - trout and salmon can be tasted. The popular pescado a la marinera, a kind of local fish & chips, and the cod(bacalao), usually simmered with tomato, onion, garlic and herbs, are worth mentioning.

Uruguayans enjoy pastries, especially for snacks, and there are various cakes and pastries. As in Argentina, dulce de leche is a must. It is a milk "jam" obtained by reducing and caramelizing sweetened condensed milk. Uruguayans often eat it for breakfast, as a snack or for dessert. Pastries include the very popular chajá, a soft cake filled with peach, meringue and dulce de leche. There is also the bizcocho borracho, a soft cake soaked in an alcoholic syrup, or the massini, composed of two layers of sponge cake, filled with whipped cream and topped with a layer of caramelized sabayon. Tortas fritas are flat disc-shaped doughnuts, served with coffee.

Rice cake(arroz con leche), another popular dessert, is usually flavored with vanilla. Thealfajor is a common cookie in the region, made of two cakes made of wheat flour and cornstarch, filled with either dulce de leche or chocolate ganache. They can be coated with chocolate or powdered sugar. Dulces de frutas are fruit pastes: the most common is dulce de frutilla (strawberry), but there are also dulce de naranja (orange), membrillo (quince) and zapallo (calabash). Damasquito is the name given to apricot paste. Garrapinadas are peanuts covered in chocolate.

If tea and especially coffee are common in Uruguay - not surprising given the huge Italian diaspora -, the national drink remains mate. An infusion made from an herb called yerba mate, it is above all an art of living in Uruguay, but also in Argentina, Paraguay and southern Brazil. The mate is sipped from a small calabash with a bombilla, a kind of metal straw with a strainer tip (to avoid swallowing the herb). The ritual is very precise: we put water at the bottom of the mate, then we add the yerba mate and we pour hot water, but not too much, so as not to burn the herb. Then we put the bombilla. The dosage and the time of infusion depend on the taste of each one. Some even add mint leaves or other herbs or spices.

The vine was implanted in Uruguay in the ^XVIIth century by Spanish colonists and its culture develops in the region under the influence of the Jesuits. But its production stagnated when they were expelled at the end of the ^18th century. It is only from the second half of the ^XIXth century that the viticulture knows its rise, thanks also to the arrival of European immigrants, notably Basques and Italians. If Chile and Argentina are already famous outside their borders for their quality wine production, it must be said that little or no one knows about Uruguayan wine. However, the country has approximately 270 bodegas (vineyards). 60% of the national production comes from the department of Canelones, north of Montevideo, and 20% of the total production is for export. Tannat is the most common grape variety, black, powerful and fond of sandy soils, which comes from the Madiran region. There are bodegas that offer tours and tastings. Introduced by Italian immigrants, grappa - a grape brandy - is popular. Grappamiel is a mixture of grappa, grain brandy, honey and water, with a strength of 20-25°. Popular beers include Norteña, Patricia, Zillertal, Pilsen and Mastra.