Tag Archives: pancho

Flavours and conquests- my South American food journey…so far

Whenever I travel, I like to make a list of foods to try. I’m not the most adventurous eater and there are lots of things I don’t like but I’m usually willing to try things, especially if they are local, traditional or have a story behind them.

Years ago, I fell hard for the caipirinha – think mojito, but elevated. Memories of sipping them around a backyard fire still linger. So, arriving in Brazil, I was thrilled to taste the real deal, made with native cachaça… and at $2.50 a pop on Copacabana beach, I didn’t hold back.

From IBA:

The caipirinha is a Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça, sugar, lime, and ice. The drink is prepared by muddling the fruit and the sugar together, then adding the liquor. 

Next up: empanadas, the ultimate street food staple across South America. Armed with research (thanks, pre-trip article!), I dove in… and quickly realized there were too many flavors to conquer. Still, the few I tried were a delicious start!

Ñoquis, or gnocchi as I know it, is not something I would normally eat. But give me a good story and a tradition and I will tuck in.

I think one thing that I have eaten in pretty much every country I’ve been to is a burger. Hamburguesas, chivitos…I was introduced to some interesting versions of the hamburger on this trip.

Most interesting was the national sandwich of Uruguay—the chivito.

From the spruce Eats:

The chivito is the national sandwich of Uruguay. Its importance in the country is on a par with hamburgers in the United States, fish and chips in the U.K., the Cuban sandwich in Cuba, and steaks in Argentina. This sandwich is not for the faint of heart or appetite, either.

The chivito combines beef, bacon, ham, and a fried egg for a hearty meal. Using grilled steak ensures delicious, smoky flavors that boost the sandwich’s taste. Salsa golf, a mix of ketchup and mayonnaise, adds a fun, tasty condiment.

Chivito

Inside the chivito

We also fell for the pancho, South America’s sassy take on the hot dog. But ‘just a hot dog’ it was not – these were surprising flavor bombs.

From Serargentino.com, where the history of the pancho is described, including its connection to Germany:

Here, the hot dog is eaten with seasonings like mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup and golf sauce. Some adhere hot sauce and sometimes it is adorned with the famous  “rain of potatoes”

Panchos hidden under all that cheese

The choripàn is a type of asado sandwich with grilled chorizo. It is popular in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela. The name comes from the combination of the names of its ingredients: a grilled chorizo sausage and a crusty bread (Spanish: pan) such as a pan batido, baguette, or francés.

Choripàn with Fernet con coca

What would a blog post about food in Brazil/Uruguay/Argentina be without mention of asado?

From webstaurantstore.blog:

The word asado is a multifunctional term that describes the method of barbecuing meat in South America, the meat itself, and the social event associated with the meal. Much like American barbecue, asado has a unique cooking method, cultural traditions, and specialty sauces that accompany it. Whether you’re incorporating traditional Hispanic foods into your menu or catering a barbecue, asados are comprehensive experiences that will delight guests. From its grill to its cultural roots, read on to discover everything you need to know about asado so you can host and prepare your own.

Last, but definitely not least (given the body count… er, consumption), were the alfajores.

From Lucilas:

Alfajores probably originated in the Middle East and reached southern Spain as far back as the 8th century when the Moors occupied the Iberian peninsula. The Spanish version of the alfajor then made its way to South America in the 16th century with the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors. The “modern” style of Argentine alfajores, similar to Lucila’s classic flavors, dates back to the late 19th century.

In Argentina, alfajores are usually enjoyed with family and friends gathered around the table sharing yerba mate tea (or coffee) and chatting about the day’s events. They are a perfect complement to a morning coffee or tea, as an afternoon snack or a stand-alone dessert.

As the photos prove, we went all in on the stand-alone dessert option, determined to crown the most scorable alfajor. Cookie, dulce de leche… could it get any better?

My favourite of all!

Argentine food is renowned for its beef, so I indulged in asado at every opportunity – and it lived up to the hype! The dulce de leche was just as divine, whether it was drizzled over ice cream, layered in cakes, or devoured straight from the spoon. Italian influences shone through in classics like the milanesa and ñoquis, which were absolute treats. Of course, no trip is complete without a few misses, and mine were flan and Yerba mate (though based on the photo, I’m not sure I really missed out by not trying the mate)– guess I’ll just have to go back for seconds.

Mate

As I bid adiós to South America, I’m left with a full belly and a full heart, already planning my next culinary adventure. Until next time, hasta luego, amigos… and pass the alfajores!

Dear Diary,

How are you? It’s been so long! Remember me? Remember when I used to write in you all the time? I used to tell you about the weather and about how there wasn’t much going on to write about.

Today when I was walking I saw all these torn up scraps of paper on the road. They made me think of you. How many January 1 entries have I made? Just like all those other times, as this new year starts I am thinking about all the new (and sometimes forgotten) habits I want to develop in this coming year. I have missed you, so let’s try again!

Remnants of someone’s diary on the street

These benches look like discarded furniture all along the sidewalk but they are concrete.

Dear Diary,

It’s the first day of a new year—2026. Today was a cooler day, only 29 degrees. Yesterday was hot, and when I say hot, I mean really hot. It was 39 degrees. I was sweating in places I didn’t know I could sweat.

Because it was New Years Day, we weren’t sure how many things would be open so we had planned to just wander. And wander we did! We walked over 12 km today- from Recoleta to Retiro, through Montserrat, then through San Telmo and on to Boca. Oh, Diary, my feet were tired by the time I got back home but what a way to start a new year. I love walking and I love exploring.

Nothing much happened during those twelve kilometres. I took pictures. I ate some things. At one point a lady came up to me to tell me it was dangerous to walk around her neighborhood with my camera out so I put it away. It’s funny because I had just made the comment that I hadn’t felt uneasy at all in Buenos Aires. Oh well. I appreciated her comment and it reminded me to be cautious. Dear Diary, do you think sometimes I am too trusting? I don’t think I am.

Here are my pictures. These are all the things I saw in Buenos Aires on the first day of 2026. Hope you like them.

Because it’s the beginning of the year, a lot of people are talking about changes they are going to make. Sometimes I find that inspiring. Sometimes I find it intimidating. Some people seem to be doing so much. Here is a list of things I think I want to start doing this year.

  • A weekly highlight jar. I don’t want to have to search my memory for the good things that happened at the end of the year so I am going to write one thing down each week that was the highlight of the week. That should be easy.
  • A nightly day dump. Not quite as it sounds, each day I am going to journal: 1 thing that took too much effort, 1 thing that helped me get through the day and 1 thing that I am proud of. This seems easy but I bet this one will be challenging for me.
  • “If I’m being honest…” Once a week, I am going to write one sentence that starts with this. That’s it. Just write it down. I am not sure I am honest with myself enough. I think this could be a big one. Maybe if I write things down it will inspire some change.
  • Make daily lists again. I love lists, dear Diary. Remember how many I used to share with you? All the times I listed the changes I wanted to make, or the things I wanted to try? I still have some of those lists…maybe I should check them in case there is something to cross off!

Thats a lot, eh dear Diary? But I think I can do it. It’s getting late now so I should go to bed. I’ll try to write to you again tomorrow. Sleep well, dear Diary. xo

Collecting moments and memories

Our last day in Uruguay we decided to do a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, one of the oldest towns in Uruguay. Its historic quarter is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

We did a bus tour which was easy but so long. It was hot (surprise!) but I mean hot enough that locals were even commenting about the heat.

Our first stop was at the Hotel Nirvana (a Swiss hotel) for coffee and croissants and a break. I wasn’t sure why we needed a break since we’d just started but I took the opportunity to go and wander the hotel grounds and lie in a hammock while the iguanas came out to play.

The stop at the Colonia sign was a bit chaotic as everyone scrambled to pose with the sign during our 5 minute stop. Next up was Plaza de toros Real de San Carlos, a massive bull fighting ring that was built in 1910, held 8 bullfights and then was closed down two years later when bull fighting was banned in Uruguay. It sat empty for over a century until 2019 when plans were made to refurbish and repurpose it. Now it’s used as a performance space.

As soon as we stopped in the town and were on our way, I was determined to find a restaurant that served ñoquis. The 29th of each month is Dia de Ñoquis- gnocchi day! And this was the last 29th of 2025 so I figured it was as good a time as any.

From The Spice Chica’s blog: The 29th of the month was just before payday — people got paid on the first of the month — so by the end of the month, money was tight and all that was left in the larder was potatoes and flour. Gnocchi, or ñoquis, are the perfect solution as they are filling and not expensive. The 29th is also the day when an Italian saint, Saint Pantaleo, who had many miracles attributed to him, was canonized. So the tradition of the 29th is said to honor him.

Now families and friends gather on the 29th to eat gnocchi together for good luck. Some restaurants only serve gnocchi on this day, and many offer gnocchi specials. At dinner, for extra luck and prosperity, the tradition is that everyone at the table gets a peso coin or note under their dinner plate. “We put money under the dinner plate and the person keeps it, we only do this on the 29th, not on a Sunday.”

I ordered traditional ñoquis (along with about half the other people in the restaurant), slipped some pesos under my plate, and ate it up. Here’s hoping for 2026!

Whilst waiting for the bus in the morning a man came up to talk to me. He was from the tour company, asked my name and then started talking to me in Portuguese. I can speak some Italian, understand some Spanish but understand even less (though more than I expected) Portuguese. Twice the day before (based on my look and initial words) and this time because of my name, people think I’m from Brazil. Maybe it’s the hair…

Anyway, when I told him I was heading to Colonia he commented that it was a really hot day to be going to Colonia. Apparently it would be even hotter there than in Montevideo. He wasn’t wrong. It was hotter than hot. It’s like permanently being in a hot yoga class.

Of course hot weather calls for ice cream so we wandered, had some ice cream, wandered some more, had an alfajor with some mint and ginger lemonade and then boarded the bus to head back.

We made a quick stop at a museum/jam & dulce de leche factory. The museum was a man’s collections. He has a Guinness record for his collections. On display are all his pencils, perfume bottles and key rings, along with a few other groupings of things. I always find displays such as this inspiring… they make me want to go home and purge!

When we got back to town it was nice to see things open. It’s funny because where we were staying in the old town the weekends were like a ghost town. I had read to expect this but like always, even though I knew this it wasn’t until I’d experienced it firsthand that I really understood just how closed up and quiet it would be. But then on Monday, all the people returned; everything that had looked desolate and abandoned and long forgotten was open. Ciudad vieja was alive once more!

The next thing to cross off my list of foods to try was a pancho- an Uruguayan hot dog. Not sure I’ll ever look at a hot dog the same again. This was the pancho passiva (an open bun either two hot dogs, ham, roasted red peppers, mayo, mustard covered in cheese and topped with an olive. It was quite tasty. I have to say, a food list in this heat is tricky…although I’m walking all day, being so hot and sweaty doesn’t make me hungry. No worries, for the purpose of the blog and this experience, I will soldier on.

Last stop is Buenos Aires. New country, new city, new list…and a new year!