The Pumas are in town. The Argentine rugby union team (named after their national animal) will clash with the Wallabies tonight. Were it to be a culinary match-up, it would be a barbeque versus an asado. Both nations love meat, and the social event created around grilling beef steaks or lamb chops on a gas flame or an open fire matches the national identity of both countries.
Officially known as The Argentine Republic, it is the second largest country on the South American continent (after Brazil), and covers most of the Southern Cone (cono sur). Whether you want to visit the tango clubs in La Boca, take a trip to the Iguazu Falls or experience the amazing Perito Moreno Glacier, there is something of interest for everyone in this amazing country (the 8th largest in the world). Whatever your fancy, food will be omnipresent. Mostly beef. Argentines are epic meat eaters - consuming more than their body weight per year. They consider a thick slab of grass-fed sirloin dripping in its own juices to be a birth-right. One president in the 1990s quipped ‘Don’t come to my country if they’re vegetarian.’ The centrality of beef to the Argentine way of life is difficult to overstate. Novels and poems extol the art of cattle ranching and gauchos on the vast pampas. Cafes bulge with diners feasting on steaks washed down with glasses of red wine. At lunchtime, it is still possible to see construction workers cooking meat on makeshift grills.
To discover Argentina, we really had no choice but to eat meat the Argentine way. Our destination was London Porterhouse located on busy Vernon Terrace in the trendy riverfront suburb of Teneriffe 2,5 km north-east of the Brisbane CBD. Historically Teneriffe gained economic importance for the State of Queensland when wool exports increased. The first of 13 wool stores was built in 1909, the last completed in the 1950's. During WWII the Teneriffe wharf served as Australia's largest submarine base, with more than 60 subs from allied forces using the facilities. Despite the restaurant’s title (named for its location under the London Woolstore Apartments), the contemporary space boasts a range of dishes heavily influenced by Argentine flavours:
We started with a selection of very tasty Argentine-inspired tapas: Spanish ham, chorizo sausages, prawns, scallops, bread, olives and dips. Then the mains arrived....
Platters of meat, cooked on a parilla ( traditional Argentine grill), and served asado-style satisfied our carnivorous instincts last night: Beef steak, ribs, chicken wings, lamb chops and sausages - the ultimate mixed grill. Balance was provided by a delicious seafood paella served in a paellera (the traditional paella dish), and a mixed seafood platter. This was accompanied by steamed green beans and a mixed salad. The meal would not have been complete without a couple of bottles of Malbec - the de facto flagship grape of Argentina. Which brings us to our first fact:
Argentina has the highest vineyards in the world. With its piercing bright light and dry, thin air, Malbec grapes have adapted to its conditions. The skins have become thicker as the sunlight became stronger, resulting in bolder tannins and wine with more oomph. More and more vineyards are creeping higher from the hot valley floors to the cooler hills. The result is powerful wines ideal for aging. If Malbec is the king of red wine, then Torrentes must be the queen of white wine in Argentina. It's a love-it-or-leave-it variety......with a taste profile somewhere between Viognier and Gewurtztraminer. But when in Argentina, you simply have to try it.
Yet again, the facts where vast and varied: Louise shared her experience of drinking the native herbal tea, Yerba Mate, which is sipped up through a metal (silver) straw called a bombilla. Martina told us the shocking story of an ex-Miss Argentina who died after plastic surgery on her butt (gluteoplasty or bum lift) in 2009. Finn, on his way to South-America at the end of the year, informed us that the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, is in Argentina. Cornelia's fact was that the first animated movie was made in Argentina, and Walt Disney is said to have been inspired by Quirino Cristiani, an Argentine filmmaker. My mum told us that the first person to be found guilty by fingerprint evidence was an Argentinian woman who killed her two children in 1892. Argentina became the first country to use fingerprinting as the primary form of identification in criminal records. Football had to feature, and the fiercest football rivalry in Buenos Aires is contested between Boca Juniors and River Plate, whose clubs are a mere 200m apart. This famous local derby "Superclasico" is a passionate, colourful and exciting affair, that reduces grown men to tears, said Andrew. Phil's fact related to the Welsh community in Argentina. In 1865, a huge number of Welsh migrated to Argentina in order to preserve their language and culture away from the English language. Today 72,000 Welsh descendants live in the Chubut province of Patagonia. And Keith told us the capital Buenos Aires derives its name from an image of The Virgin Mary discovered in a trunk in Italy in 1370. This venerated image was named Bonaira, which translates into good air.
There are 11,985 residents who claim Argentine ancestry living in Australia, of whom 1,223 live in Queensland. I am sure they will all be supporting the Pumas in their quest to beat the Wallabies at the test match on The Gold Coast tonight.
Week 51 done....
Final destination? Join us in a couple of weeks for a South-African feast.
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