GASTRONOMY - TUCUMÁN FOOD
Tucumán food is rooted in northern tradition, in it there
is a mixture of the contribution of Indian and Spanish preparations, but the latter
are the most relevant influences in Tucumán dishes. This accounts for the
great number of recipes based on corn and strong seasonings such as paprika
and chili pepper.
Tucumán
empanada is characterized by the scarcity of ingredients required.
It basically includes meat and, to a lesser extent, hard-boiled eggs,
sultanas and chopped green onions.
Tamales, which are known in different
forms practically all around Latin America (from Mexico down to the south), are
made of corn flour and anco (a kind of squash), then they are filled
with the meat from a pork head, sultanas, eggs and
seasoning. Finally, they are covered with a chala (a dry corn husk) and
then tied up.
Locro,
which together with empanadas and beef, was added to the typical Argentine food,
needs the following ingredients: corn, meat or charque (dried
and salted meat), pork feet and skin, guts and squash;
ají frito is used for seasoning. This is the name given to a fry
of fat, chili (ají) and onions, also known as adorno.
Humita
is similar to tamales, but it is basically made of fresh corn and cheese.
It is cooked wrapped up in a green chala or directly in a pot, unwrapped, this
second option is called humita en olla (in a pot).
These
are broadly the typical dishes which can be found in any eating place. But there
also countless preparations, prepared in the homes of villagers, whose recipes
are handed on from generation to generation, such as mote, carbonada,
charquicillo, chanfaina and many others.
As to wines,
Tucumán has no significant output, since the weather is not fit for vineyards,
except for the valleys area. The only wine produced is patero (a kind of
homemade wine) in Amaicha del Valle, which is still made with the traditional
methods of juice extraction.
In Tucumán you
can find two kinds of cheese, cured
and soft ones. The latter, either from cow or goat milk,
are produced all over the province. The most worth mentioning cheese is that of
Tafí del Valle; the secrets of its elaboration are transmitted from
generation to generation: every old estancia had its own dairy, which accounts
for the fact that every cheese carries a mark in its upper part which stands for
the estancia where it was produced. They are made with or without chili
and its quality and flavor makes them rank in the same level as the best. They
can be bought in Tafí del Valle or in some groceries in the provincial
capital. Among Tucumán cheese output is also quesillo,
a kind of soft and mellow cheese, typical of the Argentine north. It is made of
goat or cow milk, then it is left to curdle and once the whey leaks,
it is hung on wires, thus acquiring its characteristic elongated shape. It can
be eaten alone or garnished with arrope (grape syrup) or sugar cane
syrup, which turns it into a delicious dessert.