Page 132 - WDT INTERACTIVE

(medium) to bien cocinado (well done) – it will still
be tender and juicy with a nice near char around the
edges. The portions are grande, so Mary and I split
orders and still had some left on the plate
Parrilla fare is best eaten with a bit of salt and chimi-
churri sauce, to me, the world’s tastiest condiment.
Made from dried herbs, garlic, and vinegar, the sauce
is available in both green (chimichurri verde) and red
(chimichurri rojo) varieties. Lore has it that gauchos
invented the sauce, relying on dried herbs since
they didn’t have access to fresh ones. There’s also a
famous story that it was the concoction of an English-
man who joined the fight for Argentine independence.
His “Jimmy’s curry’ morphed into chimichurri.
Of course, there are a few popular alternatives
to burnt meat In Argentina. We found ubiquitous
international eateries like McDonald’s and Starbucks
all over the country, and we did feast on some excel-
lent Italian pasta and Spanish paella for a change of
pace. In Patagonia, we enjoyed fresh giant spider
crab and Chilean sea bass (toothfish) pulled from
the icy waters of the South Atlantic. In other regions
of the country, fish generally proved disappointing,
often because it was doused in creamy sauces that
overwhelmed the delicate flavor.

132 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018