I Aced My Spanish Test With Food Vocabulary

Ruben's Just like everything else in Argentina, the food is diverse and influenced by cultures outside of Latin America. There are inspirations drawn from Spanish, Italian and French cuisine. Not only has it taken in other cultures, it has given back more than most other countries by being one of the worlds largest food producers. It exports meat (especially beef), wheat, corn, beans, and soybeans. The exports have had an affect on the countries diet. There is an overwhelming amount of red meat consumed and the others used as frequent and dominant ingredients in many dishes. For example, the Argentine pizza’s take on Italian pizza uses more dough because of the access to wheat.
Everyone knows that Argentine cuisine is famous for its meat. One common preparation is asado, which is barbequed meat. This meat, usually beef, is cooked on a parrilla, an open fire. Many Argentine’s begin their day with a cup of mate. This is a tea made by steeping dry leaves of the yerba mate plant in hot water. It is popular as a stimulant that is stronger than coffee but also gentler on the stomach.
The food that has become the most popular outside of Argentina is the emapanada. An empanada is made with a circular shaped piece of dough that is wrapped around the stuffing. The stuffing tends to be either beef or chicken with various spices. Originally empanadas where made because they were easy and portable so workers could get a good meal on the run. They are now served as appetizers, snacks, or the main dish. I decided to finally try out the Ruben’s Empanada’s a couple blocks away from me. There are a couple of Ruben’s in the city and they have made a good name for themselves. This is probably because of the vast amount of options a consumer can choose from. They have classic options such as beef and spicy chicken. They have also expanded to include chili, ham and cheese, shrimp, “breakfast empanadas,” and various vegetarian options including broccoli, mushroom, potato, spinach, and spicy tofu.
I choose to get three empanadas. I got the spicy chicken, which is seasoned with tomato, onions, and cilantro. This was tasty but quite mushy, I saved the other half and plan on throwing it in the oven to crisp it up. I also got the chili empanada, which includes beef, beans, green peppers and chili seasoning. I at least expected this one to be messy but it was also delicious. My third empanada was actually my first choice for obvious reasons: the Argentine sausage. This one has ground beef with pork sautéed in a red wine sauce. This was definitely my favorite and hopefully an indication of how Argentine’s will spice their food. My overall feeling about Ruben’s was that they have great flavors but I would put them all in the oven first because the dough is abundant and soft.