Alfajor (Alfajor): A sweet confection consisting of a spongy dough with a sweet filling. There are many varieties depending on the province of origin: cordobeses (spongy pastry, filled with fruit or milk caramel and coated with white sugar icing); salteños (with dry, anise-scented dough in superimposed discs, filled with nougat sweet and covered with meringue); santafecinos (with yeast-based dough, lard, and many egg yolks, filled with dulce de leche and covered with a white icing); santiagueños (with very dry dough containing alcohol and anise seed, filled with thick dulce de leche and covered with sugar glaze).
Alfeñiques (Alfeñiques - Candy): Candies in the form of irregular knots (pulled sugar candy).
Aloja (Aloja - Drink): A drink of Hispanic origin, prepared based on the fermentation of quince or carob in water, common in the Provinces of Catamarca and Tucumán.
Ambrosía (Ambrosia): Egg sweet prepared with the addition of syrup and milk (like a rich custard dessert).
Arequipa (Arequipa): See dulce de leche (caramelized milk jam).
Asado (Asado / Roast): Originally not strictly Argentine, although the variety cooked with the hide (con cuero) is. It is prepared in different ways depending on the geographic region. In the Pampas, it is cooked without skinning, skewered on stakes over embers or on a grill, while in the regions of Northwest Argentina (NOA) and Cuyo, it is frequently cooked in pits dug in the ground, which constitute true earth ovens.
Carbonada (Carbonada - Stew): A stew of meat, pumpkin/squash, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, and peaches; it is usually served inside a squash cooked in the oven; it has variants depending on the regions.
Chafaina o chanfaina (Chanfaina / Offal Stew): In its Hispanic origin, it consisted of a stew made with lungs, blood sausage, and pork pluck (heart, liver). In Argentina, it is prepared with lamb offal and blood, seasoned with raisins.
Charqui (Charqui / Jerky): The term comes from Quechua (acharqui, dry, skinny) and designates strips of meat salted and exposed to the sun for several days to dry, in order to guarantee its preservation. It is consumed in the North of the country.
Charquicán (Charquicán - Stew): A stew made from charqui, chili pepper, squash, and other ingredients such as onions, beans, and corn. Its consumption is common in the Province of Mendoza.
Chartres (Chartres - Alfajor Variety): A variety of alfajor typical of the Province of Córdoba, rectangular or oval tablet-shaped, with a very dry dough, coated with a sugar covering.
Chicha (Chicha - Alcoholic Drink): The term is an indigenism (chichab, corn) that designates an alcoholic beverage resulting from the fermentation of corn in sweetened water. It is consumed in the NOA provinces.
Chipá–cuerito (Chipá-Cuerito - Cassava Flatbread): Sheets of dough prepared with cassava (manioc) flour, cooked on a griddle.
Chipá (Chipá - Cheese Bread): Small buns characteristic of the Province of Corrientes, made with cassava flour and fresh cheese.
Chimichurri (Chimichurri): A savory sauce composed of different spices and natural vegetables (garlic, red pepper, parsley, oregano, chili, thyme, onion, and bay leaf), mixed with water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and oil.
Curanto araucano (Araucanian Curanto): (Derives from Mapuche: hot stone) A dish based on beef, lamb, pork, chicken, chorizos, potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, and hollowed-out squashes filled with cheese, cream, and peas, which is cooked on a bed of leaves resting on red-hot lake stones—typical of the Southern lakes—covering a hole dug in the earth, about 15 cm deep.
Dulce de leche (Dulce de Leche / Milk Caramel): A typical gastronomic product of the country. It is obtained after a very slow cooking of milk and sugar flavored with vanilla. In Mendoza, it is called arequipa.
Dulces regionales (Regional Sweets): The production is very varied, depending on the fruits of each region: papaya (mamón), figleaf gourd (cayote), blackberry, currants, quince, Lenten peaches (duraznos cuaresmillos), guava, lime, sweet potato in loaves, sweet potato and squash in syrup, passion fruit (mburucuyá), carob syrups (arrope) from prickly pears and chañar.
Empanadas (Empanadas / Turnovers): Bites of filled dough, baked or fried in oil or fat. Originally, they were made with beef suet (grasa de pella), white or spring onions, and meat chopped by knife. Over time, other filling varieties emerged: humita (creamy corn), chicken, fish, vegetable, etc., with or without spice. They are currently cooked with small variations, according to the provinces: catamarqueñas (with potatoes, raisins, olives, and garlic); cordobesas (with bell peppers, potatoes, olives, raisins, hard-boiled egg, and slightly sweetened); mendocinas (with hard-boiled eggs and olives); salteñas (with potatoes, spring onion, raisins, hard-boiled eggs, and olives); sanjuaninas (only with meat and a lot of onion); santiagueñas (with hard-boiled eggs and raisins) and tucumanas (fried, with spring and white onions, hard-boiled eggs, and raisins).
Empanaditas (Small Empanadas): Smaller empanada, baked and filled with arrope (fruit syrup), quince paste, or another regional variety.
Gaznates (Gaznates - Sweet): Small handkerchiefs of fried dough, filled with dulce de leche.
Humita en chala (Humita en Chala - Corn Paste): The word derives from Quechua (humint'a) and is a thick paste, made with crushed corn kernels to which a sauté of onion, tomato, chili, milk, and paprika is added. It is served in small husks (chala), previously boiled in salt water, like a small cake.
Humita norteña (Northern Humita): Served inside a small casserole, sprinkled with sugar and browned in the oven.
Locro (Locro - Stew): The term is of Quechua origin (luqru, corn food) and consists of a very popular stew consumed in almost all provinces, made from wheat or corn, with beans, chorizo, pig's trotters and ears, and the classic fritura (fried sauce)—prepared with onion, tomato, hot chili, and paprika—which is added moments before serving.
Mate (Mate - Infusion): Yerba-mate infusion prepared with hot water, served in a small calabash gourd intended for this purpose and drunk with a metal straw (bombilla). It is commonly drunk plain and occasionally accompanied by medicinal or aromatic herbs.
Mate cocido (Cooked Mate / Mate Tea): Strained yerba-mate infusion, drunk hot in a pitcher or cup.
Mate de leche (Milk Mate): Hot milk is used instead of water for its preparation.
Mazamorra (Mazamorra - Porridge): A dish prepared with white corn cooked in water until it thickens; it has different variants: savory, with sugar or honey, and, in some provinces like Buenos Aires or Córdoba, sprinkled with cinnamon.
Mote (Mote - Hominy): The word comes from Quechua (mut´i: corn cooked in water) and consists of a base of unpeeled yellow corn, water, and ash; it is used in stews by adding large intestine, chorizos, and peppers.
Pastelitos (Pastelitos - Small Pastries): Small bites of very flaky pastry, fried and filled, generally with quince paste. In the Northeast Argentine region (NEA), they are combined with cheese and regional sweets.
Pirco (Pirco - Stew): The word is of Mapuche origin (pidcu, potage). It consists of a type of locro based on white corn, dried beans, bacon, pork bones, and the so-called frito colorado (red fry): onion, paprika, and spices. It is consumed especially in the Provinces of Mendoza and Neuquén.
Puchero seco o criollo (Criollo Stew / Dry Puchero): Puchero is known in various European cuisines. The Creole version is characterized by adding pork, pork rinds, chickpeas, cabbage, corn, sweet potatoes, manioc (cassava), chorizos, and, in some Northern provinces, charqui to the beef cooking; it is served accompanied by the traditional Creole sauce (salsa criolla), raw or cooked.
Ropa vieja (Ropa Vieja / Leftover Stew): The dish is not native to America, but to Europe, where it is called olla podrida (Spain) or pot-au-feu (France). It consists of a stew of meat, vegetables, and other food leftovers.
Salsa criolla (Criolla Sauce / Creole Sauce): A preparation based on onion, garlic, paprika, spices, and oil.
Tableta (Tableta - Alfajor Variety): A variety of alfajor typical of the Province of Mendoza, prepared with dough kneaded with anise, yolks, and pork fat, rectangular in shape, filled with figleaf gourd jam (dulce de alcayota) and covered with sugar icing.
Tamal (Tamal): The term derives from the Nahua tamalli, and consists of a type of empanada (turnover) made of corn flour dough, wrapped in husks (chala) and steamed. There are various types, depending on their filling: meat or chicken, chopped by knife.
Tereré (Tereré - Cold Mate): A refreshing infusion based on yerba-mate with very cold water, traditional in the NEA region. Sometimes ice cubes or fruit juices are added.
Tortas fritas (Tortas Fritas / Fried Flatbreads): Bites prepared with a dough of flour, water, salt, and fat, kneaded with the fists to make the dough tender; it is fried in beef, pork, or sheep fat.
Vino patero (Patero Wine / Foot-trodden Wine): Made without additives, only with grapes trodden in a leather hide, generally ox hide. It is drunk once well fermented and is consumed preferably in the Province of Catamarca.
Yaqa locro (Yaqa Locro - "Almost Locro"): The word yaqa is Quechua and means "almost not." It is an "almost locro", with a consistency similar to a thick soup prepared with corn kernels, squash, fat, and hot chili.
Yema quemada (Yema Quemada - Burned Yolk Sweet): Consists of a type of omelet prepared in copper cups with egg yolks and syrup (a type of caramelized egg yolk sweet).
