The Fine Art of Preserving

Every province has a tradition of offering visitors the chance to sample the regional products and raw ingredients of which they are most proud, or that are unique to them. These products can be sampled by visitors as they travel along the provinces’ gastronomic routes, in bars, restaurants, shops, markets, and fairs.

Argentina has several established routes, such as those running between Buenos Aires and Tandil and Suipacha, both of which have a tradition of cheese making using cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and sheep’s milk. Cheeses made along the Atlantic coast, and in Cordoba and Santa Fé, are also excellent, as are smoked goods from Patagonia.

In the mild valleys of Salta, today’s version of Argentina’s traditional criolla cooking in the northeast of the country is the legacy of a range of different cuisines. Its highlight is its sweet and spicy pepper preserves, which are ideal accompaniments for pork, llama meat, and beef.

Celery, pepper, cauliflower, and carrot are the basis of one of the classic appetizers of Argentinian diners. This pickle is experiencing a revival as an ideal pairing with vermouth and is made by local businesses who sow, harvest, and select the fruits on their own farms.

Ever since they came to the attention of the country's leading chefs, preserves have found their way into bars, restaurants, and stores as gourmet products that are associated with haute cuisine; a world away from their original purpose as a useful way of preserving the shelf-life of a perishable food.

With the renewed appreciation for traditional cookery and the recipes of our grandmothers’ generation, regional economies have championed projects to revitalize the techniques used by indigenous people, such as traditional freeze-drying techniques, salting, curing, and fermenting.

Away from the conglomerates and their monopolies over industrial production of fish, fruit, and vegetables, small businesses are centering their specialist skills in traditional production methods. Patagonia is known for its smoked products, principally venison, lamb, trout, and wild boar.

The Sierras Grandes (part of the Cordoban mountain range in the province of Cordoba) is well known for its outstanding viscacha, hare, and partridge preserves, as well as innovative vegetarian and vegan versions.  

Where the Atlantic coast has the monopoly when it comes to seafood preserves of products like tuna, mackerel, and sardines, provinces such as Santa Fe and Entre Ríos have the upper hand in sales of freshwater fish delicacies such as spotted sorubim, pati, wolf fish, and catfish.