Argentina is a food lover’s ideal destination for trying big steaks, cheesy pizzas, and yummy dulce de leche caramel spread. Argentine food will leave you with a desire to book your next trip to explore Argentina and its local cuisine.

The most famous foods in Argentina are delicious, high-quality meat and red wine. However, in Argentina, you will also find local cuisine heavily influenced by European cuisines. Italian traditions are especially strong.

In this post, we will introduce you to some of the most popular Argentine foods—both the salty and the sweet ones!

We cannot talk about Argentinian food without talking about Argentine meat and Argentine barbecue! Barbecue is called asado in Argentina, and it’s an essential part of Argentine culture.

Argentine asado differs from how you might be used to barbecue in the US or Europe. Argentine barbecue features bigger pieces of meat on an iron grill, and the cooking takes a longer time.

In Argentina, the preparation of the asado is a cultural ritual. When someone invites you over for an asado, you are included in the meat’s preparation because the act of barbecuing is part of the social gathering. The main purpose is to be able to eat the meat fresh from the grill.

The locals also go to restaurants or Argentinian barbecue places called parrillas to eat asado. On weekends in Buenos Aires, many families meet at local restaurants to share an asado.

If you want to learn how to cook an unforgettable asado, then Argentina is waiting for you.

Empanadas are one of the most traditional dishes from Argentina.

Made from a bread dough with a filling, empanadas are one of Argentina’s most popular fast foods. Throughout Argentina, you will find empanadas. Locals have an ongoing discussion about which region has the best empanadas. The northern regions of Salta, Jujuy, and Tucuman tend to win the Argentinian empanada battle.

Empanadas in Argentina can be fried in oil or baked in the oven. Expect a wide variety of ingredients when it comes to empanada fillings. The most traditional options of Argentine empanadas are:

Ham and cheese

Spicy meat

Not-spicy meat

Fresh corn

The food culture in Argentina has a heavy Italian influence, and that’s why pizza is another very popular Argentinian food. Beginning in the late 19th century, Argentina experienced considerable European immigration, especially from Italy. The impact of Italian immigrants on Argentine culture today is reflected both in the local Argentine slang and in its cuisine.

Argentine pizza is characterized by having way more cheese and a thicker dough than its Italian counterpart. You can find pizza places in most Argentine cities.

Milanesa is classic everyday Argentine food. It is a thin chicken or beef filet covered in breadcrumbs and either fried or baked. The milanesas you get at the local restaurants are normally fired, while Argentines at home tend to cook the milanesas in the oven.

As with several other delicious food options in Argentina, the milanesa is originally Italian. Over time, the Argentines have embraced milanesa, and it has become a popular dish in Argentina.

The most popular Argentinian dessert․

Dulce de leche is a traditional Argentine caramel spread, made from slow cooking milk, sugar, and vanilla. Directly translated, dulce de leche means “the sweet of milk”

Argentines are fanatic about their dulce de leche, and the caramel sauce is a favorite ingredient in almost all desserts in Argentina. In any local coffee shop or bakery, you will see everything from medialunas (Argentine-style croissants) to cakes and brownies with dulce de leche.

Alfajor is another popular dessert that cannot be overlooked when discussing food in Argentina! An alfajor is two cookies with a filling in the middle. Sometimes, the alfajor is dipped in chocolate or dusted with powdered sugar.

The most traditional style of alfajor in Argentina is called alfajor de maicena. This Argentine dessert is made with two small cookies made of maicena, or cornstarch. In the middle between the two cookies is a thick layer of dulce de leche. Finally, the alfajor is rolled in coconut flakes that stick to the dulce de leche.

You can find many variations of alfajores in Argentina. The cookie dough can be made of a more brownie-style dough. The filling can be with fruit jam or chocolate cream.

Factura is the Spanish word used in Argentina for a wide variety of traditional Argentinian pastries. You can find factura in every local bakery in Argentina, and it is definitely worth trying some of these sweet Argentine foods. Facturas are especially popular foods for breakfast and afternoon snack in Argentina.

Part of the facturas group is medialunas. The medialunas are the Argentine food’s version of French croissants. In Argentina, there are two types of medialunas: the medialuna de manteca and the medialuna de grasa. The medialuna de manteca, or with butter, is sweet, has a heavier dough and is a bit shorter in size than croissants. The medialuna de grasa, or with grease, is more salty, thinner and more compact than both the croissant and the medialuna de manteca.

The medialunas de mantecas are the most popular sweet Argentine food. In bakeries and traditional Argentine coffee shops, you will also find them cut open in the middle like small sandwiches and filled with either dulce de leche or ham and cheese.