Argentine Food. A Natural Choice.

ocated in the Southern end This feature was what attracted, Gourmet Food of the American continent in the last XIX Century decades Lbetween parallels 22 and as well as in the early XX Century Gourmet Food includes a wide range 54, with a widespread territory decades an important migratory of products. They can have a unique covering almost 290 million flow. European, Arabian and Asian character, a differentiated and particular hectares –more than 170 of them people spread out into the different processing, an exotic origin, a not much devoted to agricultural production- regions of the country, with their frequent use, an attractive packaging and Argentina is worldwide known by dreams, their traditions and their a limited offer. its tango, its soccer and the quality production and consume habits. of its grains and beef. They have differentiated distribution So many and diverse idiosyncrasies channels, but their common characteristic Such geographical vastness integrated in such a vast country is that they have a superior quality. They –it is the eighth country in generated as time went by, a are delicacies that offer pleasure to the surface- conjugated with a great different culture that nowadays most demanding palates. climatic variety that ranges opens to the world and offers its from subtropical up to mild cold best: its food. For that, more than a hundred small provided this land with a series and medium size enterprises distributed of rich and varied ecosystems along the Argentine territory with their with a natural capacity for food different products and diverse quality production. reassurance systems, add a natural touch Argentine Food. of distinction. A Natural Choice.

Olive and Grape Oils, a Natural Bouquet

The Argentine olive production These optimum agro-ecological possesses a more than a 400- conditions, conjugated with the year-old history, and due to the incorporation of new cultivation incorporation of new production technologies, processing and areas- the sector had an impulse quality assurance, resulted in extra that placed it as the first South virgin oils and fine virgin oils. American producer as well as an important international actor. In a few more years Argentine will be the third olive oil producer

The new production areas run country. And in parallel with this • Olive oil varieties: Arauca, Arbequina, Carnea, along Cuyo, into a chain of arid sector another nearby oil, grape oil Empeltre, Farga, Frantonio, Nevadillo and Picual • Olive oil blend Andean valleys, with rains under is being vigorously developed. • Grape oil 300 annual millimeters. Irrigation systems take profit of the Andean thaw water, in a clean environment where pollution is unknown. Today they take up more than 80.000 Olive and Grape Oils. hectares, 75% of them with high Gourmet Oils with density plantations and of the most required varieties demanded by a natural bouquet. international consumers. Olives & Picles that preserve it’s naturalness

The modernization of the olive modern production and processing culture due to the incorporation technologies directed their Olives and Pickles that of brand new technologies for efforts in order to get a superior preserve its naturalness. cultivation, processing and quality quality in the raw material, and reassurance; made possible an adopted processes that preserve increase in productivity and a traditional texture, aroma and raise in quality preserving the flavors, maintaining its original naturalness and the flavor intensity naturalness. of Argentine olives. Fleshy olives with intense flavor Coincidentally, this process obtained an imitation effect in Pickles with original quality other pickles that, some in a handmade form and others with

• Green and black olives, sliced olives, stuffed olives with dry tomato, red pepper, almond and smoked meat • Dry tomatoes in Malbex sauce • Spice garlic paste • Caponatas • Pickled cucumbers and green tomatoes Seasonings, Spices and Sauces, with the Essence of the New World

On a surface over 30.000 hectares, These combinations or mixtures • Acetos Argentine produces aromatic represent America’s essence, • Fruited or spiced vinegars herbs and spices throughout the New World, where different • Sweet and salted sauces and dressings • Dips its territory. Some are native cultures have congregated and • White and red pepper, cilantro, coriander, ginger, varieties, such as rosehip or are still merging and even though juniper, mustard, thyme • Honey and mustard sauces chamomile. Others were brought they preserve their traditions, • Garlic dressing by the immigrants that settled in they create an original culture • Chutney these lands and incorporated them transferred by novel aromas and to the local tradition. flavors, or, more precisely, new ways to enjoy life with gourmet Spices and aromatic herbs spirit. together with seasonings and sauces are in a permanent Seasonings, Spices, Aromatic innovation state where the Herbs and Natural Sauces.s creativity in their combinations of fragrances and flavors is remarkable in order to be used Combinations that are with meats, salads and pastas. the New World’s essence.

Smoked, Marinated and Pâtés, Flavors of Nature

In Patagonia, leaned against the In the vast plains of the pampas immensity of the Cordillera de rabbits and hares, pheasants and los Andes, in a region of lakes turkeys can be found processed and great forests, there are trout, according to the most strict quality wild boars and deer farms, whose standards, keeping the wild flavor meat is smoked, marinated or of nature. made pâté, mixed with regional mushrooms and aromatic herbs, Delicious Fresh Meats. in processes that maintain their quality and enhance nature’s flavor Smoked, Marinated The natural habitat of Patagonic and Pâtés keep the lamb is found going far South, with its delicious lean meat it is Flavors of Nature. • Smoked bred salmon and trout • Smoked bred deer and wild boar certainly a prestigious ambassador • Smoked cold meat of Argentine gourmet food. • Pate • Marinated hare, rabbit, young turkey and crocodile (yacare) In the country’s North East instead, frog, yacaré (Cayman from South America) and rhea farms are numerous and their meats are offered pickled brine or marinated. Chocolates with Tradition

Cacao, an American product, was Chocolate producers –descendants • Chocolate: Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario rapidly adopted by the settlers of those European people- • Stuffed chocolate with jam, milk caramel, of these lands and two centuries know the relevance of a careful tree nut paste and spices • Tree trunk chocolate later by almost all the countries of selection of cacao beans, • Cakes (alfajores) the world. controlling its quality, genotype and origin, proceeding then with It returned to our country taken a personalized roasting process by immigrants –German, French, that helps to liberate aromas and Italian and Swiss- who made of flavors of a superior chocolate. chocolate an actual protagonist of our national culture. Chocolates Several supplies are necessary with Tradition. to elaborate a real gourmet chocolate: cacao, milk, cream and Argentine Gourmet very specially, the originality of its Chocolates recipes.

Milk caramel, Jams and Marmalades, a Touch of Refinement

Among the processing activities This is precisely the touch of of fruits, the production of jams, refinement that distinguishes our jellies and marmalades requires products. not only an adequate technology and first class raw material but also needs man’s creativity, that Texture, Aroma and after an original processing result Flavor. Natural. in jams, marmalades and jellies that stand out in the supermarket gondolas due to their aroma, color and natural flavor.

Jams, jellies and marmalades keep their fresh fruit flavor. Our “Dulce de leche” (milk caramel) emblem • Milk caramel (dulce de leche) • Blueberrie, raspberrie, strawberrie, rosehip, elder of Argentine jams, also preserves and blend jams the natural flavor of sweetened • Lemon and oranje marmalades with bits of peel milk.

Tea and Yerba Mate, Colors, Fragrances and Flavors from the South

In the world of tea, Argentine The yerba mate (lex stands out by having the most paraguariensis) can be found southern tea region of the world. sharing production zones with tea. Due to this, Argentine black It has outstanding tonic, diuretic tea posses two characteristics and stimulant properties of the that makes it internationally nervous central system. This outstanding: the color it gives to infusion can also be mixed with the infusion and the translucent herbs or chamomile and can be feature of the liquid that can drunk hot or cold.. be drunk cold as well as hot. Both qualities make Argentine black tea be essential for the Tea and Yerba. most demanding blends. In the Colors, Aromas and world of gourmet infusions some • Black tea Flavors of the South. • Fine fruit tea blends composed by different • Green tea with Aromatic herbs proportions of black and green tea • Yerba mate (lax paraguanienses) can be found with the inclusion of aromatic herbs and spices such as cinnamon, ginger, mint and rosehip.

Honey, the Flavor of Nature

Argentina is the second honey Argentine produces monoflower exporting country. Productivity and poliflower honey, with dry or and quality are the distinctive dried fruits. elements of its worldwide well- known production. Honey with Energy • Monoflower honey: alfalfa, citric blossom, clover, eucalyptus, rapeseed, sunflower Honey from the Andean valleys is • Multiflower honey clear, with low levels of humidity. Gourmet Honey • Honey with tree nuts and dry fruit Honey proceeding from the Chaco with the true forests is dark and thick, with the flavor of the quebracho colorado Nature’s flavor. (Schinopsis balansae) and tannin. Honey from the North West region keeps the sugar cane or the orange blossom aromas, as well as the ones from the North East keep the citric, pines and eucalyptuses flavors. The golden and almost crystalline honey from the pampas region is well-known and internationally demanded.

Cheese, a Tradition

Cheese production is bound to a Cheese produced with the best European tradition, resulting from milk of cow, buffalo, sheep or goat, the migratory flows of the XIX and together with the wisdom of the XX centuries. Taking profit of its experts that, using the modern widespread territory that allows technologies that enhance and the breeding of different species assure its quality, have got a of milk producer animals they wide range of aromas, flavors and offer an excellent raw material, textures, seasoned with spices. Argentine is also worldwide known, due to the quality of its Delicious cheese. cheese. Gourmet cheese that keep a natural tradition.

• Cheese in olive oil • Goat and sheep cheese • Spiced cheese • Smoked cheese • Stuffed cheese with smoked meat Mushrooms with Personality

The varieties of mushrooms They are presented not only as produced in Argentina are white, dried or fresh mushrooms, where brown or Portobello (Agaricus) their essential properties reach champignons, girgola (Pleurofus), their highest expression, but can shitake (Llentinula edodes) and also be found processed under Leafy Grifola, a native specie from the features of pätés, pickled or the forests of the Andes. Due to marinated and other preparations their diversity of aromas and combined with sauces, seasonings, flavors they can be used as the aromatic herbs and spices, giving protagonist ingredient of a dish as each dish a distinctive character well as a complement to intensify the flavor of sauces, meat or vegetables. Gourmet Mushrooms.

• Pickled mushrooms Mushrooms • Dehydrated powdered mushrooms • Dehydrated whole mushrooms withPersonality. • Marinated mushrooms Central Cuyo Coastal North West Patagonia The pampas plain land is one of This region, leaned on the different This is a region –neighboring This is a mountainous region that The Andes exhibit part of its the richest zones in Argentine foothills of the Andes is crossed by Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay- reaches 3.800 m. over sea level to grandeur in the Patagonic and it offers the magic of a vast channels that irrigate these lands where the land is cut through the West, while towards the center provinces. Thousand-year old and territory of distant horizons. with thaw water of the maximum by large rivers that announce the rough lands cut the landscape, silent forests with native species purity, and which are responsible abundance. bursting into yellow, brown and stretch along the shores of majestic In its “estancias” gourmet for the beauty and fertility of its red colors that after become into lakes. gastronomy stands out where landscape, originally rugged and Gourmet foods in this zone are: leafy subtropical valleys. recipes of ancestral origin can be barren. candies, jams and marmalades Patagonia is the Argentine region tried as well as become acquainted produced with citric and Goat cheese, candies and jams, whose gourmet food offer is one with the “Asado Argentino” (typical Man’s effort changed this desert subtropical fruit, honey based aromatic herbs and sun dried of the most varied ones. There argentine barbecue), sausages into an oasis where fruits and seasonings, river fish, buffalo spices, olive oils and olives are the conjugate the aromas and flavors and cheese of premium quality. vegetables, walnut and olive cheese and marinated rhea and main components of this region’s of trout, of smoked wild meat, the This region is also the cradle of trees are found. They are after yacaré (Cayman from South gourmet food offer. delicacy of the Andes mushrooms, Argentine typical food such as transformed into oils (olive and America). the seasonings and ancient “Dulce de Leche” or “Alfajores”. grape) balsamic dressing and recipes of mustard, the variety of vinegar, candies and jams, dried . infusions, the candies and jams of fruits, dry fruits and wines of regional fruits, the delicious lamb superior quality. meat and the delicate exuberance of Patagonic chocolates.

Argentine Food, a natural choice

With the objective of promoting This offers to clients and and preserving the authenticity consumers the guarantee that the and originality of Argentine products are elaborated according Food, the National Secretariat to specific characteristics and of Agriculture, Livestock, above all it awards/grants a Fisheries and Food designed the special badge to Argentine food Quality Label Argentine Food, that present characteristic and a natural choice (“Alimentos constant value attributes. Argentinos, una elección natural”) which allows that enterprises that comply with a number of requisites can obtain the recognition of the consumers of a quality that satisfies their expectations or a determined flavor.

Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Alimentos Programa de Servicios Agrícolas Provinciales [email protected]