Food Souveniers from Argentina

After the peso's devaluation in 2002, Buenos Aires went from being the most expensive city in Latin America to one of the cheapest. Inflation has led to a huge hike in prices, making tourist prices some of the more inflated on the continent, but bargains can still be had.

Here is a list of some wise buys after our tour to three corners of Argentina. Most are very affordable and envoke the spirit and hospitality we encountered across the land.

Dulce de Leche - Inhabitants of Buenos Aires are obsessed by this. Loosely translated as ´milk jam´ this caramel-like spread is made from condensed milk that is boiled intil it takes on brown colour and toffee-like consistency. Spread it on everything from morning pastries to desserts like ice cream or pancakes.

Alfajores - these may be a signiature souvenier to take home for anyone with a sweet tooth. Imagine a small cake filled with dulce de leche that forms a sort of cookie sandwich. They may be sprinkled with coconut or take on many different added flavors. The Havana brand might be the benchmark brand and is available everyhere since the shops seem to be starting a coffee shop empire of starbucks proportions.


Doughnut Choclate Orange - Another nice cookie we saw were these orange doughnut cakes.


Chimichurri Spice Mix - add olive oil and vinegar to shake with this combination of herbs to form this tangy and traditional steakhouse condiment.


Red (and White) Wine - Malbecs from Mendoza are the obvious choice. And the selection is staggering. The red grape is arguably in much better hands (and climate) here than in Cahors in central France. Here on the foothills of the Andes, the waves of immigrants from Italy, France and Spain planted some of the boldest grapes to come from wines under the (strong) sun, benefiting from long days and high altitudes. Pay close attention to the vintages when you chose your bottle to take home. You will notice that there is a strong correlation between some very, very young wines and the low prices under 30 pesos. This may narrow your search down to some mid range wines that are in the 50-100 peso range for souveniers.

At the crossroads of New and Old World Wines. Argentina has some of the most beautiful yet humble wines known to man.

Another excellent choice is the white Torrentes grape from Salta and Cafayate - an excellent aromatic dry wine, as reccomended by my Argentine doctor.

Legui - A number of Italian style vermouths and digestives are made in Argentina. Fernet Branca s the most popular, fernet and coke being the drink of teenagers and gauchos alike. This tastes like the kind of cough syrup that pinches your taste buds while deranging your facial expression. I would much rather take home a bottle of the orange-flavored digestif known as Legui. We found this to be an extremely warming drink to end some epic meals. We were also shocked to find that it was only 13 pesos at the supermarket.

Dangerously Addictive - This delicious orange after dinner drink was named after a famous Buenos Aires jockey.

Yerba Mate - Coffee is not synonomous with this part of South America. For a more traditional and authentic taste for hot drinks. Pick up some yerba mate tea leaves but beware that this is certainly an aquired taste.

Mate Accessories - As for souveniers outside the supermarket, you might also want to pick up a mate gourd, the traditional server for the bitter national drink. Even better, I would look for a leather carrying case that houses the mate containers families use to bring with them on the go. This could also be used as a coffee flask holder or a nice wine carrier to picnics in the park.

Leather Goods- With such a huge beef industry it is no wonder that there is a sizeable market for leather goods. Bargain hunters will enjoy browsing in the San Telmo where (quality can vary) Steph picked up a very nice leather bag.

Boledoras - The gaucho lasso is a legacy of early indian tribes. Boledaros consist of three balls made of stone or wood that are covered in leather and attached to a rope. It was primarily flung at the legs of the running Nandu ostrich, wrapping itself around their clumsy strides and causig the bird to fall over. Ok so you may not have much use for this in your living room, but it is quite a nice hand crafted tool.

Cartas Espanolas - This deck of forty spanish cards are used to play the local card game known as Truco. Visitors can learn the river plate game, but the art of amstering it remains a local talent for the most part. We found another gaucho game that just involves swinging a ring on the end of a rope and trying to land it on a nail in the wood beam above the ranch fireplace... harder than it looks.

Finally, we picked up a set of wooden plates and steak knives that can be purchased at larger supermarkets or household goods shops. This will hopefully bring back many fond memories of Argentina over recreations of parilla dinners over in Europe!