Fresh Pasta: Traditional Argentinian Family Lunch

In the mid-19th century, Argentina experienced a mass wave of immigration, mainly consisting of Italians in search of a new life. They brought their culinary traditions with them, and the most popular was fresh pasta.

Although pasta was originally made at home, as time passed and busy city life took hold, there was less time for this type of endeavor. This led to the appearance of Argentina’s famous pasta houses, frequented by locals buying their favorite dishes on a Sunday. 

Fresh pasta dough is made using wheat flour and eggs. This basic dough can be used to make different types of pasta.

Ravioli is the most popular type of fresh pasta in Argentina. It comes with a range of different fillings, from spinach and ricotta to meat, chicken, or ham and cheese.

Eating fresh pasta for Sunday lunch is still a traditional event in many Argentinian households. Families sit together around the table, chatting and tucking into delicious plates of gnocchi, ravioli, or noodles.

Every pasta house has a myriad of options to choose from, such as spiral fusilli. Fusilli can be long or short. Short fusilli are known as tirabuzón, meaning corkscrew.

Spaghetti is another of Argentina’s best-known pastas. It is traditionally served with tuco, a simple sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, and basil.

Macaroni is a short, tube-shaped fresh pasta that is an ideal accompaniment for Argentinian beef stew, made with beef and tomato sauce.

As well as the traditional pasta made with flour and eggs, there are also green pastas, made with spinach.

A popular Argentinian tradition is to eat gnocchi on the 29th day of the month. As part of this ritual, the person eating the gnocchi puts a bank note or a coin underneath their plate for luck and prosperity. Many restaurants serve gnocchi, especially on the 29th of the month.

A Sunday morning tradition is to pick up some freshly made noodles from the best pasta house in your local neighborhood. You need to allow plenty of time: there are often long queues as everyone heads out to buy pasta for their family Sunday meal!