Uruguayan cuisine

Uruguayan cuisineis a fusion of cuisines from several European countries, especially ofMediterranean foodsfromSpain,Italy,PortugalandFrance. Other influences on the cuisine resulted fromimmigrationfrom countries such asGermanyandScotland. Uruguayangastronomyis a result of immigration, rather than localAmerindiancuisine, because of late-19th and early 20th century immigration waves of, mostly, Italians. Spanish influences are abundant:dessertslikechurros(cylinders ofpastry, usually fried, sometimes filled with dulce de leche),flan,ensaimadasyoo 
(Catalan sweet bread), and alfajores were all brought from Spain. There are also various kinds of stews known asguisosor estofados, arroces (rice dishes such aspaella), and fabada (Asturianbean stew). All of the guisos and traditionalpucheros(stews) are also of Spanish origin. Uruguayan preparations of fish, such asdried salt cod(bacalao),calamari, andoctopus, originate from theBasqueandGalicianregions, and also Portugal. Due to its strong Italian tradition, all of the famous Italianpastadishes are present in Uruguay includingravioli,lasagne,tortellini,fettuccine, and the traditionalgnocchi. Although the pasta can be served with many sauces, there is one special sauce that was created by Uruguayans.Caruso sauceis a pasta sauce made fromdouble cream, meat, onions, ham andmushrooms. It is very popular withsorrentinosandagnolotti. Additionally, there isGermanicinfluence in Uruguayan cuisine as well, particularly in sweet dishes. The pastries known as bizcochos are Germanic in origin:croissants, known asmedialunas, are the most popular of these, and can be found in two varieties: butter- and lard-based. Also German in origin are theBerlineseknown asbolas de fraile("friar's balls"), and the rolls calledpiononos. TheBiscochoswere re-christened with local names given the difficult German phonology, and usually Uruguayanized by the addition of a dulce de leche filling. Even dishes likechucrut(sauerkraut) have also made it into mainstream Uruguayan dishes.
The base of the country's diet is meat and animal products: primarilybeefbut alsochicken,lamb,pigand sometimesfish. The preferredcooking methodsfor meats and vegetables are stillboilingandroasting, although modernization has popularizedfrying(seemilanesasandchivitos). Meanwhile,wheatand fruit are generally served fried (torta fritaandpasteles),comfited(rapaduraand ticholos de banana), and sometimesbaked(roscadechicharrones), a new modern style.Bushmeatcomes frommulitasandcarpinchos. Regional fruits likebutiaandpitangaare commonly used for flavoring caña, along withquinotosandnísperos.
Although Uruguay has considerable nativefloraandfauna, with the exception ofyerba mate,  native plants and animals largely do not figure into  Uruguayan cuisine. Uruguayan food often comes with fresh bread;bizcochosandtortas fritasare a must for drinkingmate, the national drink. The dried leaves and twigs of theyerba mateplant (Ilex paraguariensis) are placed in a small cup. Hot water is then poured into a gourd just below the boiling point, to avoid burning the herb and spoiling the flavor. The drink is sipped through a metal or reed straw, known as abombilla.Wineis also a popular drink. Other spirits consumed in Uruguay arecaña,grappa, lemon-infused grappa, andgrappamiel(a grappa honey liquour). Grappamiel is very popular in rural areas, and is often consumed in the cold autumn and winter mornings to warm up the body.
Popularsweetsare membrilloquincejam anddulce de leche, which is made from caramelized milk. A sweet paste,dulce de leche, is used to fill cookies, cakes, pancakes,milhojas, andalfajores. The alfajores areshortbreadcookies sandwiched together withdulce de lecheor a fruit paste. Dulce de leche is used also inflan con dulce de leche.
Pizza (locally pronounced pisa or pitsa) has been wholly included in Uruguayan cuisine, and in its Uruguayan form more closely resembles an Italiancalzonethan it does its Italian ancestor. Typical Uruguayan pizzas includepizza rellena(stuffed pizza),pizza por metro(pizza by the meter), andpizza a la parrilla(grilled pizza). While Uruguayan pizza derives fromNeapolitan cuisine, the Uruguayanfugaza(fugazza) comes from thefocaccia xeneise(Genoan), but in any case its preparation is different from its Italian counterpart, and the addition of cheese to make the dish (fugaza con quesoorfugazzeta) started in Argentina or Uruguay.
Sliced pizza is often served along with fainá, made with chickpea flour and baked like pizza. For example, it is common for pasta to be eaten with white bread ("French bread"), which is unusual in Italy. This can be explained by the low cost of bread, and that Uruguayan pasta tends to come together with a large amount of tuco sauce (Italian:suco- juice), and accompanied byestofado(stew). Less commonly, pastas are eaten with a sauce ofpesto, a green sauce made withbasil, orsalsa blanca(Béchamel sauce). During the 20th century, people in pizzerias in Montevideo commonly ordered a "combo" of moscato, which is a large glass of a sweet wine called (muscat), plus two stacked pieces (the lower one being pizza and the upper one fainá). Despite both pizza and faina being Italian in origin, they are never served together in Italy.
Polentacomes fromNorthern Italyand is very common throughout Uruguay. Unlike Italy, this cornmeal is eaten as a main dish, with tuco (meat sauce) and melted cheese and or ham.
The current roots of Uruguayan cuisine can be traced back to asubsistence economyadopted bygauchos, and sustained onsubsistence agricultureimplanted by the Spanish andCriollosat the start ofEuropean colonization. The native peoples did not stay in one place, and Uruguay was used as a remoteport, with few incursions fortreasure hunting.
The only permanent establishment at the time was constituted byFranciscan friarsand was located in a territory now belonging toBrazilcalledMisiones, because their mission there was toChristianizethe native peoples. The tradition of mate started during this time, with the monks brewing a beverage with the leaves of yerba mate that theGuaranipeople used to chew.
Cattle was later introduced byHernando Arias de Saavedra.
The first group of immigrants came from poor families fromBuenos Airesand theCanary Islands, along with their empanadas andcocidos. Everything was sold frompulperiasthat were both stores andsaloons.
The asado tradition came with gauchos that lived in the country, descendants of those first families that having no land nor home, madecattle raidingtheir way of life.
Portuguese and Brazilian influence was also added during Portuguese colonization.Feijoadawas incorporated into the rest of the guisos.
Food was rudimentary and based on Spanish tradition until immigration at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century when the first families came mostly from Italy andSpain. Immigration increased followingWorld War IandWorld War II, when people from all overEuropeand theMiddle Eastcame to Uruguay, including people fromGermany,Russia, Italy, andArmenia. Such immigration enriched the importation of dishes, as there is now pasta, Russian salad and innumerable types of pastries from France and Germany, resulting inchajáand alfajores.
In Uruguayan cuisine, there is a significant list of preparations and dishes that are included in this category, the most typical orautochthonousis thepicada, probably descending from the Spanishtapas, and as for everyday food there are alsomatambre rellenoandlengua a la vinagreta.
Common spirits produced in Uruguay includegrappaandcaña; grappa is considered an excellentapéritif, and caña is considered a liqueur. Liquor made with caña has good digestive qualities and is mainly consumed as a drink and not as an aperitif. Apéritifs such asmartini,vermouth,whisky,medio y medio(half and half) and alsouvita,sangriaand wine are popular.
Medio y medio is a special blend ofdry wineandsparkling wine, or sparkling wine and caña (rum). Uvita is afortified winewith caña that resemblesmarsala wine.
Picada can be described as the main entrée of a typical asado (barbecue) and is consumed with aperitifs.  It is constituted by cheese (typically Colonia, of Uruguayan origin), olives,longaniza,salami, chips and salted peanuts; peanuts and other snacks are served on small pots and all of the other ingredients are served on a wood table with slices of bread.
Matambre rellenois a common dish inRio de la plata, both in Uruguay as in Argentina. It is one of two dishes prepared from matambre, a meat cut that is aflank steak. It is prepared as luncheon meat by rolling thin slices over spinach, carrots and boiled eggs, tied up and sewn with a strong string, boiled and later pressed and consumed cold.
Lengua a la vinagreta(Spanish fortonguewithvinaigrette) is a cold preparation of beef tongue that is previously peeled and boiled and served with a vinagreta sauce made with chopped boiled eggs, parsley, garlic, onions, olive oil, and vinegar.
Escabecheis a preserved method common in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries. It consists of a mix of oil and vinegar that is used as amarinationthat also preserves the food.
Pescado en escabeche (escabeche fish) is a cold dish often made fromArgentine hakethat is buttered as in pescado a la marinera.
After being separately fried, it is parboiled on a vinaigrette made of oil and vinegar that is added to sliced onions and carrots and whole garlic cloves and black pepper.
Food is mostly eaten with bread, and sometimes rice, salad or chips. Along with asado, accompaniments are chorizo,morcilla, offal, and alsostuffed peppers, and papas al plomo (roasted potatoes).
The most notable sauces in Uruguayan cuisine are chimichurri,salsa criollaandsalsa Caruso.
Picantina is a spicy sauce commonly added to frankfurters (panchos), hungaras, choripanes and hamburgers. It is common to find in fast food dispensers in the street and is locally called 'carritos'. It resembles hot mustard or mayonnaise.
Sharing the same name as theSpanish mojo, it is a simple sauce made with garlic, oil, parsley, oregano, paprika, water and salt, and is added to asado during the cooking process and optionally on the dish. Mojo differs from chimichurri in that it has water besides vinegar and less paprika.
Chimichurri is between a vinaigrette and a pesto variant, made with parsley, chopped garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, oil, vinegar, and salt. Along with salsa criolla it is preferred for asado.
Made with finely chopped tomatoes and onions, oil and salt, salsa criollais used for garment of asado,choripánand sometimes panchos.
La Pasiva is a famous chain of restaurants in Uruguay, dedicated to fast food or minutas, as known in the region.  Their specialties are panchos and hungaras and they are renowned for theirchivito.Moustard La pasivais a white-colored hot mustard served along with panchos. It is made withbeer, starch,mustard grains, pepper, salt and vinegar. Though it has never been sold commercially, small quantities are sometimes given as a gift for clients.
Mostaza La pasiva is also used among other mustards as a sauce for puchero meat.
All three are necessary pasta sauces among other foreign pasta sauces. Salsa Caruso was made in honor of the opera singerEnrico Carusoand became a popular sauce (especially for its main dish 'cappelettis a la Caruso'); estofado is a stewed version ofragumade from steaks and sometimes eaten alone; tuco, when it is with chopped meat, resembles abolognese sauce.
Uruguayan cuisine has adopted and created manysalads, the most typical beingensalada criolla.
With slight variants, it is common for a family of salads that are widespread over the southernsouth coneregion; most variants as in theChilean saladalways include onion and lettuce. The salad common to Uruguay contains tomato along with lettuce and onion and is served with a single vinaigrette made of oil, vinegar, salt, garlic, and oregano. As it is a basic form of salad, it is an ideal accompaniment for asado.
More similar to the polish sałatka jarzynowa than the typicalolivier salad, it contains potatoes, carrots, and peas with mayonnaise.
This is a potato and egg salad or onion and potato salad or simply potato mayonnaise and parsley.
Resembling an old Spanish salpicon, ropa vieja (Spanish for old clothes) intends to include everything that exceeds from asado, mainly the best cuts of meat chopped with vegetables such as potatoes or ensalada criolla. It is not to be confused with the Cubanropa viejawhich is also a derivative dish but resembles more asancochothan a salad.
Another derivative salpicon, chicken salpicon is made with chicken, eggs, and potatoes.
Simply heart of palm sometimes rolled in ham slices and served with salsa.
Basicallywatercress, olive oil and lemon juice.
Barbecue asado can be said to make the meal or is the meal itself. The meal and cut of meat are also calledasadoortira de asado.
In most Uruguayan homes, it is common to find a special grill on the patio called an asador.  It is a structure made ofironandbrick. Most asadores are at least two meters by one meter, have achimney, a place forfirewoodand a large grill for the meat.Embersproduced by the firewood are placed under the grill.
In many towns and cities, street vendors sell asado. These small barbecue grills are calledmedio tanque(half barrel), because they are made with on adaptation of a splitsteeldrum. Asado cooked this way is sold often on the street as a snack or light lunch.
In the larger cities, such as Montevideo, markets commonly have one or more grill stations where customers can order and eat asado directly at the bar, which may be served with offal, sausages,tapenades, and tapas. It is usually served withlagerbeer for lunch.
The person making the meal is also calledasador.
Asado is often preceded by apéritives such as vermouth, uvita, and medio y medio, an entree called picada and some chorizos, morcillas, and some offal.
Ingredients of a complete Uruguayan asado include chorizo, morcilla, pulpon, entraña, tira de asado,cow gizzards,chinchulines, chotos, andkidneys. Poultry may also be included.
Sometimes, especially on festive days, pork, fish, and lamb are consumed as a substitute for beef, constituting a variant.
A typical asado takes from one hour to two hours to be prepared, and even more, if a different kind of meat is going to be barbecued (for example a whole pig takes at least four hours to be ready).
The asador starts the fire in the burner and, once the fire is started, the meat is salted and condiments added; condiments may include oregano, garlic, paprika, parsley and mojo.  The first embers are put in place, the meat put on the grill and embers added to as they fall from the burner. The meat is slowly cooked and smoked on the asador and mojo is added periodically for flavor.
The meat is served with bread and salads, condiments such as mojo, chimichurri and Uruguayan salsa criolla and beverages such as wine, clerico and sangria.
Asado con cuero (barbecue with itsleather), is a favorite variant rurally and is also appreciated in the capital.  It requires a more complex technique than that employed for making asado in that the animal is barbecued whole and even with its hide, though the bones are discarded.  This practice was initiated by the pampa people who, if they needed to move on in a hurry, could easily take with them the rolled-up meat.
Typical Uruguayan beverages are mate, caña, uvita,grappamielandmedio y medio(half and half).
Grappa was brought by Italian immigrants as they kept coming at the immediation ofSXIX. Grappamiel and grapa con limon were made in the Country from this Italian influence.
A taste for winewas acquired from Mediterranean influence, also sangria and clerico. Uvita (little grape) is a fortified wineresembling marsala wine.
Literally meaning half and half, medio y medio is a drink blend of caña and sparkling wine or dry wine and sparkling wine. It is made and sold under the trademark Roldos.
Mate is consumed at any time and on any occasion, solely with tortas fritas or biscochos. It is so important that the act of drinking mate is a ritual of friendship between those involved. Even carrying a thermos of hot water facilitates this practice and on hot summer days it is still said to be refreshing.
Uruguay is the first global consumer of mate, with a consumption of 6.8 kilograms of yerba mate per capita a year, surpassing Argentina by 1.2 kilograms per capita at year.
Yerba mate also is consumed as mate cocido. When it is prepared with milk it is called mate de leche and milk is added, it is called mate con leche.
Grappa is sold under various trademarks but the most significant one is San Remo.  It isdistilledand bottled byANCAPand there was also an attempt to produce the original Italian grappa by some local cellars. When macerated with lemon it is called grapa con limon.
Caña is an amber-coloured drink distilled similar toaguardientemade fromsugar cane mill. Its caramel colour is due to aging in barrels. It is distilled and bottled under the brand name De los 33.
GrappamielorGrapamielis a mixedalcoholic beveragepopular inUruguaycontaininggrappa,spiritsobtained from variousgrainsplushoneyandwater. In agreements with theEuropean Union, the drink is afood protected by geographical indications.The definition is provided by CONSULTA Nº 4.548 of the Uruguay Government.
Specially suitable for cold days, Uruguayan guisos or stews are highly revitalizing, especially for their puchero, followed bybuseca, guiso carrero, guiso de fideos (noodle stew), estofado and feijoada.
Spanish culinary influence is marked in Uruguayan stews, Also there are Italian and Portuguese-Brazilian influences, this last coming from theLuso-Brazilian invasionof Uruguay.
From Spanish tradition puchero, Uruguayan puchero differs not much from others of the region, it is like a rough soup where dry ingredients are separated from the broth after cooked to make two separate preparations, a new soup that is first consumed, and later the soup all the other succulent ingredients are consumed with bread.
A typical puchero may contain all type of cuts with bones,skirt steak,ossobucco,bacon, cabbage, sweet corn,rape, onions, celery, carrot, sweet potato, squash, and potatoes.
All these ingredients cut in big pieces are cooked and served, with the broth are made different soups containing small noodles, rice or any cereal of predilection.
It is usual that each commensal makes theirpureeon his dish with all the cooked vegetables that have been served, aligning it with oil if desired, and also to take off the caracu (bone marrow) from the ossobucco bone and spread it over pieced bread.
Mustards of the brand Savora and also La pasiva are used for garnishing puchero meat.
A dish for summer days and popular on rural areas, consisted on broth, noodles and gross slices of meat, chorizosausage. and tocino bacon boiled together.
Its vegetable composition is reduced due is pretended to notfermenton hot days, so it only has few onions and squash.
Its name comes from verb ensopar (to moist, to soup), participle ensopado (being souped).
Sometimes it is hard to say what is Argentinian and what is Uruguayan (history links people strongly). Guiso carrero is part of not only cuisine, but Uruguayan folklore. It is a succulent meal consistent of meat,butterbeans, and noodles.
Popular chefs can assure that it is a delicious stew containing potato, sweet potato, noodles, squash, onion, tomato, beans, and the best meat.
Guiso carrero is served withred wine, bread and grated cheese.
When guiso carrero does not contain noodles, it is called guiso de porotos, and when it does not have beans, it is called guiso de fideos or ensopado.
Buseca from Italian tradition also known as cazuela de mondongo in Spain.
Its main ingredient is the mondongo, which is atripefrom the cow's stomach, it is pre-cooked and boiled along with meat, chorizo,peachick, tomato and potato.
A dish originating fromPortuguese Brazilianinfluence that takes a bit from the main Rioplatense culture.
Very popular all over Brazil, feijoada also is popular in Uruguay (though not in Argentina). Consumed not only on the northeast but also all along with the country, it is a black bean stew that, unlike the Brazilian feijoada, comes with potatoes (besides bananas andfariña), and made with beef more often than pork. It is also common to find chorizo and chorizo Colorado in Uruguayan feijoada.
Bacalao is a dry fish stew made fromdried and salted cod,chickpeas, onions, potatoes, tomato sauce, and parsley, it is usually consumed on Uruguay over Easter, as it is a Spanish catholic tradition.
Also very popular on Uruguayan cuisine, ragu-style stews still are very popular, such as albondigas con papas and estofado.
Literally meaning wrapped children, a stew consisting of small wraps the length of a human finger.  They are made ofloinslices that are filled with bacon, spinach, and carrots, and later boiled in a tomato sauce and served with peas and boiled potatoes.
Made from poultry or cow meat, it is called estofado de pollo when made with poultry and estofado de carne when it has cow meat.  It is a dish that contains meat and chorizo or chicken, stewed in tomato sauce, and sometimes served with a side of boiled potatoes or pasta.
Spanish formeatballswith potatoes, albondigas con papas is a dish made from meatballs boiled in tomato sauce with potatoes and peas.
Albondigas con papas are eaten with cheese and parsley.
Minutais the local name forRío de la Plata's fast food.
Common side dishes arefried eggs, croquetas,French fries,purée, and salads.
The most notableminutasare milanesas,refuerzossuch aschoripanes,chivitosand pizza andfaina; also, thebauruis common along the Brazilian border.
Choripan, Spanishportmanteaufor sausage (chorizo) and bread (pan) also called chorizo al pan (sausage on bread), is a sandwich made with barbecued chorizo (that is sliced in half to fit), mayonnaise, ketchup, tomato, lettuce, onions, etc.
Hungaras are like panchos, boiled sausages but more spicy and thinner and longer; like panchos also they come served on bread and they are found on the street served as fast food and also sold apart in supermarkets.
Milanesa (from Italiancotoletta alla milanese) is a thin breaded cutlet that can beveal, chicken or fish.
Breading consists of three successive steps that its order defines mostly the character of the milanesa, most of Montevideo's bars and old style restaurants make breading starting with egg so that the latest dip is also egg, this method generated by galician and Spanish barists leaves a coat of egg that turns into a film at frying, it is a curious variation that is often served on those restaurants because the main breading has inverse order and is the type of milanesa that is served everywhere else including homemade milanesas.
Also milanesas are sold onbutcher shopson every step previous to frying: sliced, tendered or breaded and ready to fry.
A typical dish of milanesa is sided with fried eggs (or "a caballo" -horse riding- when egg garn besides siding), french fries or salad, The way that milanesa is served determinates the name of the dish that can be served "a caballo" or "a la napolitana" (Naplesstyle) or "al pan" (milanesa sandwich).
A milanesa a la napolitana, not original from Naples, consists of a milanesa garnished with tomato sauce, ham and mozzarella cheese slices (on that order) that is finely grated.
Milanesa al pan consists of a sandwich made with milanesa, felipe bread (a type ofbread roll), tomato slices, lettuce, mayonnaise, bacon, ham, cheese and olives, when a milanesa al pan is mayor in size it is cut in half and called milanesa en dos panes (double bread), home made and street versions of this dish are called refuerzo de milanesa and it differs in that it is made with baguette besides felipe bread.
Often served on portuary sides of the country, pescado a la marinerabatteredfish frythat it is commonly served sided with lemon slices.
Battering is made from beer (preferably from brand Patricia), flour and salt.
Hot dogs are referred to as panchos, coming in two sizes: cortos (short ones) and largos (longer ones).
La Pasiva is a restaurant chain in Uruguay that specializes in serving panchos and with time, was renowned by its La Pasiva mustard sauce for panchos that comes among every pancho order and also serves local specialities as panchos con panceta (panchos with bacon) and panchos porteños.
Croquetas arecroquettesmade withpotatoand ham,riceand ham,béchameland ham.
Empanadas are a kind of pastry that originated in Spain. In Uruguay, empanadas are more commonly baked and usually include a filling of choice. Empanadas de carne are filled withground meat, chopped boiled eggs, garlic and onions, Empanadas de carne may also be "dulces" (sweet, filled withraisins) or "saladas" (salty, filled with olives). Empanadas de pollo are made with ground poultry meat. Empanadas de jamon y choclo orhumitasare filled with ham and corn. Empanadas de queso y cebolla are filled with onion and cheese. Empandas de dulce, or empanadas de membrillo are filled withquince cheese.
Empanadas are not to be confused with pasteles, a similar baked good.
Buñuelos are fried dough balls of different types, the most common one are buñuelos deacelga, buñuelos de sesos (doughs that containsbrain), buñuelos de manzana (apple dough) and buñuelos de banana (banana dough).
Sweet buñuelos are served powdered withcane sugar.
Brought by Italian tradition and spread all over the world, Pizza is not an exception, pizza-like bread and pasta are part of everyday food.
Uruguayan style pizza, usually rectangular in shape, has a thicker crust and this rising higher than the usualNeapolitan pizza. It is commonly sliced squared, resemblingpizza al taglioorSicilian pizza. Pizzas with an even thicker crust are referred to as "pizza de cumpleaños" (birthday party pizzas) as it is common to serve to guests on such occasions.
Pizza can come with a lot of ingredients, but most common arepizza(without cheese nor topings) andpizza-muzzarella.
Fainás are often served in pizza bars and restaurants throughout the country.
It consists of a thin, round chickpea flour baked crepe paste than can be ordered as "fainá de orilla" (fainá from the border) when is the thinnest part of the border. that is desired or "fainá del medio" (faina from the middle) when it is referred to the taller middle part of a fainá.
Unlike the common use in Italy that fainá is peppered on the plate by the crust, Uruguayan use implies peppering on the plate with white chopped pepper by the other side.
When fainá is served upside a pizza it is called "pizza a caballo" that may be translated as horse-riding pizza.
A figazza is a pizza bread not containing tomato sauce, topped with onions and often also muzzarella.It is probably descended from theGenoesefocaccia (where it is known asfügàssa[it]), and it is also consumed in Argentina under the name fugazzeta.
Typical ingredients of a figazza are onions, peppers, and olives.
Lahmajun(locally known as "lehmeyún") was brought by Armenian immigrants. Nowadays it is very popular, found at several small restaurants and pizzerias.
Tuco is an Uruguayan tomato sauce made with chopped meat, tomato sauce, onions, oreganon and garlic, fideos meaning noodles.
Tuco can be served with any pasta, fresh or dry, but most common are tallarines con tuco (spaghetti with tuco), ñoquis con tuco (gnocchi), moñitas con tuco (farfalle), raviolis con tuco (ravioli), and canelones con tuco (cannelloni).
Canelones con tuco are covered with bechamel and later covered with tuco.
Estofado and tuco are interchangeable for any of the mentioned noodles though estofado can serve also as a dish by itself when served alone or with potatoes.
Estofado is made by cooking meat pieces in tomato sauce by long coctions.
Gnocchi, or ñoquis of the 29th is a tradition of having gnocchi every 29, brought in by the immigration from Veneto, the tradition of Saint Pantaleo, who had many miracles attributed to him, is said to honor him.
Families and friends gather on the 29th to eat gnocchi, the tradition is that everyone at the table puts money under the plate for good fortune.
Caruso sauce was invented by chef Raymundo Monti and takes its name from the famous tenor Enrico Caruso. It is a warm sauce that is made of cream, sliced onions, ham, cheese, nuts, and mushrooms and is served withcappelletti.
Literally meaningrindbread, alsorosca de chicharrones, is a leavened bread made of cow lard and added with small rinds made of cow fat, commonly found on local bakeries among with sweet variations without rinds such as rosca de membrillo, (quince (cheese-filled) bread) and rosca de dulce de leche (dulce de leche (filled) bread).
Pan flauta(flute bread) is an elongated bread that is a variant ofbaguette.
Pan tortugait is a small round-shaped bread with a soft crust, thus its nametortuga(Spanish for turtle).
Felipeis a hard-crusted small bread.
Porteñois called after the eponym of the inhabitants ofBuenos Airesand is similar to Felipe but with a smaller crumb.
Marsellésis named after the city ofMarseilleand resembles a pair of twinVienna breadwith harder crust and covered with maize flour.
Pan de sándwichis a soft crumb mold bread specially made for making sandwiches.
There is a wide variety of sandwiches in Uruguay which are locally classified into two types calledrefuerzo(reinforcement) and sándwich (sandwich) respectively.
Sandwiches in Rio de la Plata are particular and different of those from other parts of the world because of the bread with which are made that ispan de sándwich, this type of sandwiches are simply calledsándwichesand are commonly sold on local bakeries.
Also note that the Spanish distinction betweenrefuerzoandsándwichwhich is also present in Mexico withtortaand sándwich, which differentiates common bread sandwich from others similar to the Britishtrain sandwich, is not so pronounced on the Argentinian dialect where difference is simply made by addingde miga(crumby) to the latter.Notable types ofrefuerzosare chivito, choripán and milanesa al pan.
Chivitomeaning literally small goat is a popular type ofsandwichoriginated in Uruguay, its name comes from an unaccomplished desire from a client that literally wanted a beef of small goat or achivito, being that goat is not consumed in Uruguay client had to be satisfied anyway with this now popular dish.
. Hence a thin slice offilet mignonsubstituted the beef of small goat, nowadays it is uncertain ifbacon,mozzarella,ham,onion,Hard-cooked eggs,tomatoslices,mayonnaise,olivesand bread really complement the goat flavour.
Variants fromchivitoare, asmilanesaen dos panes,chivitoen dos panes,chivito canadiense(added withCanadian bacon),chivito canadienseal plato andchivitoal plato (platted chivito).
A complete chivito is served withfrench friesand when is dished is also sided with ensalada rusa and ensalada criolla.
Choripán, Spanishportmanteaufor sausage (chorizo) and bread (pan) also called chorizo al pan (sausage on bread), is a sandwich made with barbecuedchorizo(that is sliced in half to fit), mayonnaise, ketchup, tomato, lettuce, onions, etc.
Sándwich Olímpico(Olympic sandwich) is a very popular sandwich in Uruguay made with three slices ofpan de sándwichfilled with ham, cheese, olives tomato and lettuce.
Sándwich caliente(hot sandwich) or "tostado" (toasted) as it is called in Argentina is a variant of thecroqué monsieurmade with two slices ofpan de sánguchefilled ham and cheese and toasted.
Jesuitasare made with two layers of puff pastry filled with ham and cheese and covered withmeringue icing. This is a sweet and salty taste. The same sandwich inArgentinais known as afosforito.
Tortas fritas (fried cakes) are a simple pastry, typical from Uruguay and Argentina and which has many variants along South America. The recipe for thesopaipilla, from which it descends,  is argued to be from what is now Germany but they were introduced to Spain by the Arabs at the times of the invasion.
Specifically Tortas fritas are leavened fried thin round pieces of bread but the aspects that describe them best is the flourishing with sugar, its distinctive hole in the center and the use of cow fat, both for frying and for making the batter.
Uruguayan bizcochos are small pastries different from the Spaniardsponge cakeof the same name that in Uruguay is called bizcochuelo.
Bizcochos are consumed withmate,coffeeandtea, they are the more common pastry ofUruguay, and commonly sold on localbakeries.
Bizcochos come in various kinds, likecorazanes,margaritasandpan con grasa.
Pasteles (pastries) are triangular-shaped empanadas that are made from a batter identical to such of tortas fritas with the addition of being puffed using cow fat. As tortas fritas they are also flourished with sugar after frying. Pasteles are filled only with quince jam or dulce de leche.
Alfajores consist of two round sweet spongy doughs poured together filled with dulce de leche and covered onto two variants: ″chocolate″ and ″nieve″ (snow).
Nieve variant is called due to its white snowy aspect conferred by themeringuecovering.
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