Argentina, located in the southern part of South America, borders the South Atlantic Ocean between Chile and Uruguay. It is the second-largest country in South America, after Brazil, and is slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US. Rather than being one of the second largest country in South America, Argentina is known for its diverse geographical features, although not for Hookah. Argentina is divided into six geographical regions, Pampas, Patagonia, Mesopotamia, Northeast, Northwest, and Cuyo. The six regions are extremely interesting, but the one that has the most impact on the Argentinean cuisine, is probably the Pampas.
Argentina was first discovered by the Europeans in 1502, and became a Spanish colony by 1580. Spain was not the only country that controlled Argentina, Italy and France did too. Because of Argentine’s location, South America, it became a colony to many European countries at one time. The Italian cuisine for example, has influenced the Argentinean cuisine, and finding a good spaghetti meal in Buenos Aires, is as casual as finding an asado. As a matter of fact, geography has proven to effect culture, including locale cuisine. The location of Argentina was also important, because it became a target to Europeans in the 1550’s, and they brought with themselves their own cuisine culture. Whether its weather, region, or location, geographical features do have an impact on locale cuisine.
The Pampas of Argentina are a grassland biome. Filled with flat, rich soiled, green plains, the Pampas are the ideal region to raise cattle. The winters are cold to mild, and summers can get hot and humid. There is an existing difference between seasons, but the temperatures never go to extremes, neither hot nor cold. During the summer, the precipitation level is high. All these elements, make a fine environment for cattle. In fact, the home of the Argentinean cowboy, el gaucho, is the Pampas.
The cattle are raised in large amounts and are very diverse.The cattle were first introduced by the European conquerors in the 1550’s, and were practically roamed freely. Since then, the Pampas have become on the of the largest meat producing and importing regions. It had a huge impact on Argentinean cuisine, because meat became one of the main ingredients. The traditional Argentinean meal, barbecue on an open fire, is called asado. It is made out of sausages, such as chorizos, morcillas, chinchulines, and mollejas, and regular meat. The cows that are raised in the Pampas play an important role in Argentinean traditional cuisine farther than just being the meat. Another Argentinean traditional dessert, is called “dulce de lecheâ€, or in free translation, “milk jamâ€, is just like its name, made out of milk. Dulce de leche is an important ingredient in Argentinean desserts, like cakes, ice creams and suc.