University of Wisconsin–Madison

Argentina: Megan Holland (Food in Buenos Aires)

A photo of merienda, which looks like a croissant with ham and cheese on a white plate. There is also a small glass with green tea in it and a brown straw.
A merienda featuring a medialuna de jamón y queso

My goal is for you to know what to expect from the food in Buenos Aires. For me, the food here has been better than I ever could have expected. The one complaint I have heard from other students is disappointment in the lack of spicy food. Luckily, this is not an issue for me.

A photo of a hand holding choripan, a hot-dog looking food in a white bun with French fries and two dipping sauces in small black cups.
Choripan with chimichurri, salsa criolla, and papas fritas at the meat festival.

One of the biggest adjustments for me was the addition of a new, fourth mealtime, called merienda. Merienda is eaten around 6 pm (which is my usual dinner time) and generally consists of a drink such as a café con leche or mate and a sweet pastry (called facturas). This means that dinner is eaten around 9 pm. My favorite pastry for merienda is a medialuna de jamón y queso. It is a perfect blend of sweet and savory. My favorite sweet foods include alfajores, medialunas, and anything with dulce de leche, especially flan.

A white bowl filled with pastel de papa, is a layer of crispy cheese that looks like a round hash brown on top of brown, meat filling
Pastel de papa

Argentina is known for its meat, specifically for asados, Argentinian barbeques. One of the most unique food-related experiences I have had here was attending a “meat festival”. There are a multitude of festivals related to different food groups in Buenos Aires. A great place to explore them is an Instagram account called @bacapitalgastronomica.

While I do not consider myself a huge meat-eater, several comfort food dishes have stolen my heart. These include but are not limited to pastel de papa, choripan, empanadas de humita (corn), and milanesa napolitana. My favorite of them all is pastel de papa. While the direct translation means “potato cake”, pastel de papa is a potato puree with a layer of crispy cheese on top and seasoned ground beef (a common empanada filling) underneath. As a Minnesota native, this dish reminds me of an elevated version of my beloved “tater tot hotdish”.

Megan, a female student, smiles at the camera. She has short, curly light hair and is standing in front of a lake with green tree branches on either side of her.

Megan Holland

Hometown: Rochester, Minnesota

Major: Community and Organizational Development

Program: IES Buenos Aires Society & Culture

One of the reasons that I chose my program was the opportunity to live in a homestay. I am hoping to participate in an international internship while I am on my program.