The origins of the Argentine snack
To explore the DNA of the Argentine snack and try to find its legitimate predecessors, we must once again turn to the arrival of Spanish and Italian immigrants to our lands. With them, they brought to the Argentine table the traditional Spanish tapas and the Italian antipasto. Together, they can be considered the parents of this deeply rooted custom in our country.
The Argentine snack is nothing more than a collection of foods, served in small quantities that act as a prelude to a good meal.
The Argentine people's preference for this way of eating has developed to such an extent that today, we find simple snacks made up of some cold cuts and cheeses, to more complex ones with a variety of small dishes, some of which are gourmet in character.
The most common and simple Argentine snack is the one served up to today before a large dinner or lunch with many guests. While waiting for the meal to be ready, a tray is brought to the table with generous slices of Argentine salami chopped thick, a legacy of the best traditions of the Friulian families who arrived in our country, along with a couple of varieties of Argentine cheeses—hard and semi-hard, cut into cubes—and fresh French bread sliced. Of course, this pre-meal nibble is not eaten alone; it should be complemented with a good vermouth or a glass of red wine.
But we have become so fond of the snack that, besides being an appetizer before the main course, today, many restaurants in Argentina serve a wide range of Argentine snacks as a main dish.
Other traditional elements of the Argentine snack include, besides salami and cheese, cubes of mortadella, a plate of pickles, and olives.
The Argentine salami is the star of the cold cuts, occupying the center stage, but sharing it with mortadella, thick slices of ham — if the budget allows — cooked ham, and why not, slices of chorizo colorado with its delicious touch of paprika.
Another ingredient that has earned its prominent place in the Argentine snack is black olives, marinated in olive oil with a pinch of spicy pepper; it adds an exclusive flavor to our snack. Alongside, a tasty plate of pickled peppers is making its way.
Later, as a result of other immigrant communities that settled in the region, the Argentine snack has been embellished with other ingredients, some of which come from Arab cuisine. For this reason, a good snack aimed at satisfying Argentine gourmandise and good taste is accompanied by a small plate of chickpea paste or pickled eggplants.
The essential Argentine cheeses in the snack
A Argentine snack without cheeses is as dull as dancing at a party with your own sister. That’s why, here are some varieties of the exquisite Argentine cheese you can find in a snack tray.
Out of the 150 varieties of cheese produced in Argentina, only some are preferred for the cheese boards of our snack. These are typically hard and semi-hard cheeses. The first of them is Pategrás, an inseparable companion of salami and raw ham, although I remember my grandfather, during Sunday’s small snack, used to try it with grapes and nuts — such a kin to American tradition. Gouda, with its texture and flavor, pairs very well with tempting cubes of mortadella. Finally, Reggianito, Fontina, and Gruyère each with their own distinctive flavors, invite us to enjoy them on their own.
The different cheeses you can find in a good Argentine snack gain overwhelming strength on our palate when accompanied by a good glass of wine, which always helps to enhance their flavors.
More and more bars and restaurants in Argentina are incorporating the snack as a main feature of their menus. When you open the menu, you may find options with 8, 12, or even 24 dishes, where all the gastronomic traditions that influenced Argentine cuisine gather to showcase the Argentine snack.
But today, we pay homage to an Argentine ritual, more than just a culinary element. We celebrate the Argentine snack that doesn’t need grand restaurants; it only takes two or more people gathering in its name, and there it will be—the bond forming friendships, uniting families, sparking smiles, mixing young and old. This is the Argentine snack.
