Meat: The Protein That Makes Up the Argentine DNA

Three days a week, auctions are held at Liniers cattle market that determine the price of meat.

Located on the outskirts of Buenos Aries, Liniers cattle market is the largest of its kind on the planet. Things get going before dawn and buyers roam the walkways looking for their future purchases at auction.

Following their introduction onto the continent by Spanish conquerors, cows were left free to roam the grasslands (or Pampas) of Argentina. The cattle was later bred and sold. The gauchos that herd and manage the animals are known as 'reseros'.

The last link in the chain of sale is between the person who packs off the cuts of meat and their customers. The average Argentine only buys meat from their trusted butcher, whom they choose based on the prices they offer and the quality of their product.

Liniers cattle market is located in Mataderos, a barrio (neighborhood) on the edge of the city of Buenos Aires named after the slaughterhouses that once prospered in the vicinity of the market and were later relocated to less populated areas. In the coming months the market itself will be moved to Cañuelas, one hour from Buenos Aires.

The cooking method is determined by the thickness of the final cut of 'bife de chorizo' (top loin). The meat obtained must be sealed on the outside and juicy on the inside. 

Meat is part of Argentina's idiosyncrasy and its history. For many, it symbolizes the junction between countryside, the rural, and the rest of the country.