An Authentic "Asado"

An "asado" in Argentina is something culturally sacred and omnipresent. It is part of both everyday life and special occasions. It is truly authentic yet at the same time exported by the country as one of its primary identifiers; it is what Argentina has become famous for, much like bullfighting is to Spain, tacos are to Mexico, and sushi is to Japan. An asado, in Argentina, is best described as a meat-centered, family-filled, 4th of July-esque backyard barbecue.

Today we visited the country house of some new Argentine friends for a wonderfully authentic asado. Fernando and Karin and their two young children Guadalupe (age 5) and Facundo (age 4) spared no expense as they showed us how to enjoy this valued tradition in true Argentina style. 

It started when they picked us up from the commuter train station in downtown Tigre, the northern suburb of Buenos Aires where they live that is located right on the giant river delta (this whole area was--and still is--referred to as Río de la Plata...River of Silver...because of its surrounding tributaries once filled with precious silver). 

At Fernando and Karin's spectacular house with a built-in "parrilla" (fire pit/grill) in their back yard, we put on 5 different kinds of meat (beef, lamb, veal, goat, and sausage) and watched it cook for a couple hours with glasses of vino in hand and kids playing in the yard. The process looked something like the following.

Preparing the fire with special coals (they get to 800 degrees):

Cooking the meat, simply flavored with salt, parsley, garlic, paprika, and a little lemon:

Playing in the backyard:

And Finally eating the asado:

Following the huge meal (which only consisted of meat and a small salad), we had "mate", the traditional South American tea popular in most of the southern half of the continent. It is made with the aromatic herb "mate" and served in a special cup, also called a "mate." Hot water is poured into the herb-filled cup and friends pass it around, sharing the tea and drinking through a special metal straw called a "bombilla." 

We sat around talking a bit more, discussing Argentine traditions, politics, the economy, and--most importantly--the various cuts of meat appropriate for an asado ("which every young man in Argentina learns from an early age, and women sometimes can learn too," say our hosts). 

Then we had some dessert...a German "stollen" cake (pronounced "sh-tow-len") purchased from a local bakery.

Following the meal, we toured the small downtown area of Tigre and then went our for coffee and hot chocolate at a café called Havana. Delicious.

By the time we returned to our apartment around 8:00pm, we knew we had participated in one of the country's great traditions in a totally real way, and it was something that we will tell stories about for years into the future. What a phenomenal adventure!