Tag Archives: buenos aires street food

Choripan: My Favorite Street Meat

17 Monday Dec 2012

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Chorizos on the Parrilla

In the street meat hierarchy, hot dogs ain’t got nothin’ on choris.

Choripan & Quilmes

One of the first places Gaspar took me when I joined him in Buenos Aires was a tiny hole in the wall on Carlos Calvo between Defensa and Bolivar. The walls were plastered with aging photos and notes from satisfied celebrity and average-joe customers, and the place was full of old men with mullets, missing teeth, wandering eyes and dirty piropos. Perhaps not every woman would appreciate such a charming treat. But the smell of garlicky delicious chorizo sausages sizzling on the parrilla is enough to make anyone go a little loco. The chorizo was butterflied, served up on hunks of crusty bread and slathered with chimichurri. Throw in a litro of cerveza, and it was the date of my dreams.

At the risk of stating the obvious, chorizo + pan = choripan, a popular pork sausage sandwich. This chorizo shouldn’t be confused with its spicy Spanish counterpart. Argentine chorizo, like most local food, is far from spicy. Instead it is flavored with garlic and pimentón (Spanish paprika).

Butterflied Chorizo with Chimichurri

We indulge in this local drunk food regularly, rarely bothering with the drunkenness excuse because we are not ashamed to love it sober. During the Feria de San Telmo, the popular street fair on Defensa featuring block after block of antiques and wares from local artisans, several parking lots are converted into choripan-pushing parrillas. El Rey del Chori is one of my favorites. In addition to choripan, most any chori vendor also offers bondiola (a hunk of pork served on a roll) or vacíopan (a hunk of steak served on a roll), both of which are also quite good.

El Rey del ChoriIf you’re looking to try out choripan in San Telmo, these are my favorite spots. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the potential creepiness of my favorite hole-in-the-wall on Carlos Calvo, mmkay? You may or may not find yourself being smothered in kisses by an intoxicated elderly gentleman sporting a rat tail.

NAMELESS HOLE-IN-THE-WALL – Carlos Calvo between Defensa and Bolivar

EL REY DEL CHORI – Sundays on the corner of Defensa and México

Garrapiñada, My Favorite Street Treat

26 Thursday Jul 2012

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Sundays in San Telmo are a noisy, crowded affair with the Feria de San Telmo in full swing. We happen to live on the street where the fair is held, which comes with its own set of pros and cons.

PRO: We have easy access to the antiques and handmade goods that 10,000 tourists from around the world descend upon San Telmo to browse.

CON: 10,000 tourists from around the world descend upon San Telmo.

While I could do without hearing the same tango classic played outside my window repeatedly by street performers each Sunday, I still throw those windows open to bask in the heavenly smell of garrapiñada. Street carts hawking this delicious treat can be found on any day of the week, but they’re out in droves in San Telmo on Sundays and vanilla deliciousness is in the air.

Garrapiñada is made with peanuts, sugar and vanilla, cooked until caramelized. The crunchy candied nuts are a common sight in Argentina and Uruguay. Most of the vendors in Buenos Aires also make it with almonds, my personal favorite variety. A small plastic packet generally runs between $2 and $5 pesos, depending how touristy the area is. Vale la pena, either way.

Garrapiñada: mani (peanuts) on the left, almendras (almonds) on the right.

The stuff’s amazing on its own. But last Thanksgiving, after searching high and low for pecans without any luck, I topped my sweet potato casserole with garrapiñada and I’m not quite sure I can ever go back. Now that I know where to find pecans, I’m thinking homemade pecan garrapiñada topping will make an appearance this year. Stay tuned…