Argentina

 Argentina 

The Argentine flag

Argentina, officially known as the Argentine Republic, is a country in South America, the south of South America precisely. It is bordering the South Atlantic ocean between Chile and Uruguay.

Argentina is the eight largest country in the world with a population of about 44 million. It is the second largest in South America (after Brazil).

The federal capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires. 

Buenos Aires, Argentina 

One third of Argentina's population live in Buenos Aires.

The official language in Argentina is Spanish but there are other regional languages.

The largest cities include Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Salta, Cordoba, La Plata, among others. 

Argentina is widely known for a number of things like the Argentine's love of Football and Steak and Tango. 

The Argentina National Football Team has always been a formidable team. 

The head coach is Lionel Scaloni and the captain of the team is the six-time Ballon d'Or winner and highest scorer of the team (with 71 goals) Lionel Messi.

The national football team 

The team's biggest win was on the 22nd January, 1942 when they played a stunning 12-0 against the Ecuador national team. 

The two-time world cup champions appeared in 17 world cup games and emerged champions in 1978 and 1986.

As much as the Argentines love Football, El Pato still remains the country's national sport.  

Although there were actions taken to make Football, the national sport, counter arguments were raised about El Pato having a more traditional origin than football which has more of an European background.

In 1953, President Juan Peron decreed El Pato to be the national sport.

El Pato is a traditional game played by gauchos on horseback which combines elements of Polo and Basketball. Initially, the game was played with a live duck but it was changed to a ball. 

Food in Argentina 

An amazing fact about Argentine cuisine is that it has a dish for everyone, from the sweet deserts to the steak dishes and fish dishes and stews.

Some of the Popular dishes in Argentina 

Freshwater fish dish

1. Boga a la parrilla

If you're a big fan of grilled fish then this is for you. 

Boga a la Parrilla is a fish delicacy consisting of a whole boga (freshwater fish).

A whole fish is opened up and seasoned with spices, herbs, oil and lemon juices among others.

Boga a la Parrilla

Stew 

2. Guiso Carrero

This is a traditional Argentine stew consisting of vegetables, meat and pasta.  Chunks of meat are browned and combined with chopped vegetables such as onions, green peppers, crushed tomatoes,  potatoes, pumpkin corn and garlic.  The combination is simmered in vegetable oreat brother alongside pasta like kacaroni while some use rice instead. 

Sandwich 

3.Sandwiches de miga

If you'd rather have a sandwich, fret not, the Argentine cuisine Sandwiches de miga has you covered.

These are prepared with crustless white bread and can consist of two or more bread slices per sandwich. The most common variety of the sandwich is made with mayonnaise, cheese and ham, but there are really no restrictions when it comes to the fillings. A common variety is called a tostado( a toasted sandwich that is served warm) 

Barbeque

Are you like me and you can't just have enough of meats?  Then this should totally captivate you.

4. The famous Argentinian Asado. 

Planning your trip to Argentina?? 

Put this at the top of your to-do list. 

You can't afford to miss it. 

Asado features a wide selection of grilled meats, mainly beef.  The meat is cooked on a special brick-built grill called a parrilla and the fire can be made with either charcoal or wood. 

Asado also refers to the gathering of people to grill in open air and enjoy meats. 

There are other dishes like the LOCRO

A stew  that consists of white corn, kernels, meat and vegetables.

Chorcotorta- chocolate cake

Dulce de batata

Dulce de Leches (which means sweet from milk).

It is made with milk, sugar and a little vanilla. 

Wine, good wine is considered very important in Argentina. So be prepared to enjoy some fresh quality wine.

Popular places to visit in Argentina

Argentina records a large number of tourists every year. 

Iguazu falls

(Made up of between 150-300 falls) 

Los Glaciares National Park 

Home to large glaciers and the Perito Moreno Glacier- a massive 30km ice formation.

La Boca

Buenos Aires most colorful neighborhood, popular for its open air museum and amazing street attractions like Tango. 

Ushuaia

The world's most southernmost city (sometimes referred to as the end of the world). 

Mendoza 

Cordoba Cathedral 

Mar del Plata. 

Tango 

Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880's. Different styles of Tango are Tango argentino, Tango nuevo, Ballroom tango, etc. 

A very famous festival is Tango Buenos Aires Festival y Mundial(World Tango Dance Tournament).

Argentinians are very welcoming and accommodating.

There's so much to enjoy and learn while touring Argentina.

The awesome food, beautiful night life for the night crawlers, nice beaches for vacation and the breath taking UNESCO world heritage sites. 

It's definitely worth checking out.

Watch out for our next post on 

'The loveliest countries to spend the christmas holidays'

Although it is advised that we should spend this holidays at home and keep ourselves  and others safe.

But you can start making your plans for the next christmas holidays now. 

It's never too early.

Have a lovely Tuesday.

Check out our previous posts similar to this.

https://tristarwrites.blogspot.com/2019/05/travel-guide.html

https://tristarwrites.blogspot.com/2019/03/feature-japan.html

https://tristarwrites.blogspot.com/2019/04/feature-brazil.html