Argentina lies on the southern tip of South America and is the 8th largest country in the world. Its neighboring countries include; Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia. Its capital, Buenos Aries, translated to “Good Airs” or “Fair Winds”, has a population of just under three million while the total population of the country totals 43,821,877. A majority of Argentines are of European decent, Italians having the largest presences with 37% of the population having Italian descent, but a study done by the University of Buenos Aries found that about half have native Argentinian blood (McCloskey, Burford 40). Argentina is known for its skillful soccer team, discovery of enormous dinosaur fossils and its beautiful …show more content…
This does not mean that the culture is not rich in tradition and passion of its people. Many might view Argentina as just being another Latin America country but with the large influx of immigrants and with a large demographic of Jews and Italians, Argentinian culture is different from the rest of its sister countries. The indigenous people were able to fight off the Spanish invaders and even the Incan empire that surrounded them. Even after being taken over by Spain, the native people were still able to fight off British forces without help from its mother country (Argentina- History & Culture).
Tradition is large part of the culture in Argentina. Gauchos, who were of European and American descent, were the hard workers of Argentina. Today gauchos are the people who still ranch cattle in the traditional style of their ancestors. They are given this title because the original gauchos were known to be brave and very hard working. These Argentinian “cowboys” show the strength of the culture in Argentina, as they are still praised today (McCloskey, Burford 40). The people are proud of their culture, whether it be their World Cup winning soccer team or the strong civil …show more content…
It combines Spanish cooking styles, pizzas and pastas from its Italian population and even includes French style pastries; just like its people the food is also diverse. Asado is one of the most well-known and important dishes to the culture, it consists of grilled or barbequed meat, typically beef (Blazes). Another favorite among locals are Empanadas. Empanadas are just little hand held pastries usually filled with meat, chicken or sweet corn, also known as ‘humita’ (Hawmee). Empanadas are as common in Argentina as cafes in France. ‘Facturos’ are another popular pastry item in Argentina and usually are eaten with coffee and tea and are on the sweeter side and filled with jams and creams or custards. ‘Dulce de leche’ is another dessert staple and is made by cooking condensed milk until it gets a deep rich toffee flavor and color. Some common spices used in cooking are; cayenne pepper, bay leaf, oregano, nutmeg, and paprika. These spices are widely used in asado, empanadas and chimichurri, which is a sauce made with a lot of herbs. Asado is also known as the national dish of Argentina and is an accompaniment to any celebration. Panettone is traditionally an Italian sweet eggy bread made with dried fruits and nuts and is commonly eaten during Christmas and Easter. Another popular dish at Christmas is ensalada Rusia which is just a Russian