Bife de chorizo is an Argentinian beef cut equivalent to the US New York strip steak, strip steak, sirloin, and top loin traditionally used for asado. It is a thick, juicy steak with a sizable layer of fat on top. It comes in several varieties, namely the bife de chorizo angosto (thin sirloin) and the bife de chorizo mariposa (butterflied sirloin).
And if you want to judge the quality of someone’s barbecue or the quality of a barbecue place, ask for this steak. Also, if you get one with more than a generous amount of fat, know you've been served a cheap and bad-quality one.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Asado
Dulce de leche is a type of condensed milk sweet from Argentina and Uruguay. Traditionally, it is made by heating sweetened cow's milk until it caramelizes and achieves a thick consistency, enough to act as a spread, a filling for cakes and pies, or an ice cream topping.
The legend says that dulce de leche originated in Buenos Aires in 1829, when a maid of Argentinian leader Juan Manuel de Rosas was preparing la lechada by heating sugar and milk. As she left it on the fire a bit longer than usual, she noticed it had become a dark brown substance, and that's how dulce de leche was born.
Empanadas argentinas, or Argentinian empanadas, make up a group of traditional Argentinian pastries filled with a variety of ingredients, from meat to cheese and vegetables. Although they are mostly enjoyed in their savory form, there are sweet dessert varieties filled with ingredients such as dulce de leche and quince.
The dough, typically made with wheat flour, is rolled thin and folded over a filling, and the resulting parcel is then baked or fried to golden perfection. Traditional empanadas often feature ingredients such as ground beef, onions, and spices, giving them a robust and savory flavor.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Empanadas
MOST ICONIC Empanadas Argentinas
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Milanesa napolitana is a traditional Argentine dish originating from Buenos Aires. It consists of a milanesa steak that's breaded, fried, then topped with a slice of ham, tangy tomato sauce, and thick slices of mozzarella, which will melt under the broiler.
It is typically served with french fries on the side. If there are any leftovers, they can be used to make delicious sandwiches called sánguche de milanesa. Milanesa napolitana was supposedly invented in the 1930s or 1940s in a restaurant called Nápoli, hence the name.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Milanesa
MOST ICONIC Milanesa napolitana
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Argentinian alfajores are sandwich cookies consisting of two round, crumbly sweet cookies with a dulce de leche or milk jam stuffing between them. The combination is then coated with a layer of chocolate or sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.
The name alfajor stems from the Arabic word al-hasú, which means stuffed or filled. Although the cookies can be found throughout Latin America, they are originally from Andalusia, Spain. When the Spaniards came to America, they brought their foods and traditions along the way, and with time, almost every country in Latin America has adapted the Spanish alfajor to make it their own.
MOST ICONIC Alfajores
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This is an extreme version of a steak sandwich – filled with thinly sliced lomo steak, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mayonnaise, chimichurri sauce, ham, cheese, and a fried egg, sandwich de lomo or lomito is a behemoth of a sandwich that is sure to satiate even the hungriest consumers.
However, this delicious sandwich is open to innovation – some might substitute the steak with pork, or put aubergine slices into it, along with any other ingredient that comes to mind. Popular both in Argentina and Uruguay, it can easily be found at numerous street carts dispersed throughout the metropolitan areas of both countries.
MOST ICONIC Sandwich de lomo
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Choripán is the ultimate in Argentine street food, a sandwich consisting of a chorizo sausage and a variety of condiments in a crusty bun. It is usually consumed on the go, since it is mostly sold at street stands throughout Latin America.
The name choripán is derived from two words: chorizo, referring to the sausage, and pan, meaning bread.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Hot Dog
MOST ICONIC Choripán
View moreProvoleta is the Argentinian version of the famous Italian Provolone cheese which is believed to be an invention of Italian immigrants who wanted to blend two national cuisines. It falls into the category of pasta filata, or stretched cheeses, and is usually made with fresh cow.
Provoleta is usually shaped into long cylinders and left to mature for at least three months. Mild in flavor and usually-semi hard and springy in texture, it has a distinctive yellow color and is specially designed for grilling. The favorite way to enjoy the cheese in Argentina is to cut it into thick slices, grill, season, and serve as a satisfying appetizer followed by the famous Argentinian asado.
Pair with
Cordero al palo is a traditional lamb specialty that involves roasting a whole lamb on a spit, a cooking technique which has long been practiced in Chile and Argentina (especially Patagonia). The lamb is slowly cooked for several hours over a wood fire, all the while basting in its own juices and fat, resulting in succulent and tender meat surrounded by crispy skin.
While cooking, the meat is often enhanced with a mixture of warm water, salt, and garlic. The dish can be found on the menus of numerous restaurants throughout the region, and it is typically served with pebre, a popular Chilean condiment.
Other typical accompaniments to this dish include boiled potatoes, fresh salads, bread, and lots of fine red wine.
These soft crescent rolls are regarded as the Argentinian take on traditional French croissants. Even though they are very similar to the French variety, medialunas are slightly more moist, smaller, and a bit sweeter. There are two traditional types of medialunas; the larger version made with butter, and the smaller version made with lard.
Both varieties are usually prepared plain, with a rum-and-sugar glaze on top. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast, ideally accompanied by a cup of strong coffee with milk, or as an afternoon snack served with yerba mate, a traditional Argentinian herbal tea.
MOST ICONIC Medialunas
View moreTasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 56 Argentinian Foods” list until February 16, 2025, 6,975 ratings were recorded, of which 4,384 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.