Argentine Pasta

With steak at the top of so many tourists’ list of “must-do” things in Argentina, you may have not even realised that pasta is in fact one of the nation’s defining dishes.

Today it’s estimated that 24 million, or 60% of the total population, have some degree of Italian descent. Argentina’s language, customs, culture and traditions are strongly influenced by the country’s connection with Italy and Argentine cuisine is no different.

In fact, it’s not unusual to see families enjoying a plate of ñoquis (gnocchi) or Lasagne for Sunday lunch, or seeing people eat pizza and queuing at the numerous ice-cream parlours around Buenos Aires.  

So, why then, with so many Italian descendants living in Argentina, is the pasta so different to what you’d find in Italy? And why do so many food journalists and critics consider it to be so poor?

BEEF IS TO BLAME

To understand the reason we need to take a step back and look at the past.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Argentina saw an influx of immigrants arrive from all parts of Italy. Those from Northern Italy arrived first bringing with them Polenta and Risotto. Then, in the twentieth century, immigrants from Southern Italy came with their own rich culinary luggage introducing Argentina to pizza and pasta asciutta, or dry pasta.

So, what happened to these foods and traditional Italian recipes? Why were they not passed down from generation to generation as they had been in Italy?

Argentinian food journalist and critic Fernando Vidal Buzzi blames it on the beef.

In 1901 people in Southern Italy ate an average of 6.5 kilos of red meat a year Anthropologist Marcelo Alvarez explains. However, during this very same period, in the Hotel de los Inmigrantes in Argentina, new arrivals would find themselves enjoying 600g of meat a day, this is equivalent to 220 kilos a year - 34 times more than they’d ever received back home.

With meat being reserved for the wealthy classes in Italy, it was only natural that when the new settlers arrived in Argentina and saw how readily accessible and affordable it was to feast on red meat they did not want or feel the need to resort to their traditional pasta dishes. So, with time, these dishes were left behind and some even forgotten.

THE GALICIANS ALSO PLAYED THEIR PART

When the Italians arrived in Argentina there were also many Spanish immigrants settling at the same time. Most of these were from the region of Galicia, in the North West of Spain. These immigrants were very familiar with how to set up and run restaurants so before long they took over many restaurants, bars and cafes in the country. In fact, they enjoyed a monopoly on restaurants for over a century. Experts believe that this was also, in part, to blame for the demise of authentic pasta as only a Spanish version and take on pasta was served throughout this period, and this is said to have been far from the real thing.

WAIT, WHAT ABOUT THE WEATHER?

Climate plays an important role in the production of pasta and the foods a nation enjoys. For example, pasta fresca (fresh pasta such as ravioli, tagiliatelle or tortelloni) is more closely associated with Northern Italy whereas pasta asciutta (dry pasta such as spaghetti) is linked to Southern Italy and seaside villages. And the reason for this is that historically pasta asciutta was laid out to dry outside and the South provided better weather conditions to do this. By contrast, fresh pasta required a large number of eggs and in Northern Italy the climate provided a climate that was more suitable for keeping hens.

Unlike in the UK, where distance and exportation policies allow for pasta to be directly imported from Italy, in Argentina they make their own. And this has its own climate and crop growing conditions which affect the flavour and substance of flour, cheeses, tomatoes and ultimately the type of pasta that’s then created.

MACHINERY, COOKING & OTHER SINS

To exacerbate the differences further, Argentina’s pasta making machinery is not of the same quality as that in Italy. This means that restaurateurs will often come across poorly cut pieces or pasta that is not uniform in size and this will impact the texture and absorbency levels of the pasta.

Argentine food critic Alejandro Maglione thinks that this is made worse by the way in which the pasta is overcooked and then served drowning in a heavy creamy sauce smothered in grated cheese. He claims that people in Argentina don’t know what ‘al dente’ is and that “like meat, if you overcook pasta it ruins it”. He goes on to explain that fresh pasta such as ravioli or tortelloni has a rich filling that requires little or no sauce. In the region of Emilia Romagna in Italy, considered home to the best fresh handmade pasta in Italy, filled pasta is often enjoyed in a broth or a few simple herbs with butter so that quality and flavours of the pasta and its filling transpire. He tried to teach Argentines the trick which is to create a sauce and then pick a pasta that will best go with this, and not the other way around.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

While many top chefs and food critics will argue that pasta in Argentina is, on the whole, not up to scratch, there are others who claim that Argentine pasta is just fine the way it is. Their argument is that Argentine pasta is not meant to resemble Italian pasta, it’s ‘al uso nostro’ and is something that has evolved to suit Argentine taste buds.  

What’s more, Argentines have branched to develop their very own exciting range of fresh pasta that can’t be found in Italy. So, if you happen to visit Argentina why not try a plate of sorrentinos or beetroot flavoured gnocchi to make a change from the bife de chorizo and asado you’ll be enjoying every other night? Our advice is to give it a go! If you don’t expect Italian pasta and make sure you carefully select the right restaurant you may even be pleasantly surprised!  

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