The terms “Parrilla” and “asado” are used often in Argentina, but what do they mean?
If invited to an asado there is etiquette to observe – do not be caught short of manners – read on…
What is a parrilla?
A “Parrilla” is a restaurant where they serve grilled meat, also referred to sometimes as a grill and is simply meat cooked on a grill over hot coals and more recently gas.
What is the difference between “asado” and Parrilla?
Technically, asado is a cut of meat, the very tasty ‘Strip of beef’ that all Argentines adore. To visitors the asado can be a little fatty for their tastes. An asado is also a barbecue cooked at home.
Just to confuse you, a parrilla describes the grill used at home to asado, the asado is an important part of Argentine culture and life; it is not just a meal, but also a celebration. On any Sunday, you smell charcoaled meat and chorizo flavored smoke rising form gardens and balconies all over Buenos Aires.
To understand Argentina you need to understand that Agricultural wealth built this fine country and still contributes hugely to the GDP. As we have seen recently, unhappy farmers means an unhappy pot-clanking Argentina and the current administration believes or they state that farmers seek to destabilize government.
In the past, Argentina would export the best beef to maximize on profit often leaving the “asado de tira” and the “vacio” for the local market and therefore these cuts and offal became a large part of the Argentine diet – Argentines developed a taste for what Americans and Europeans call off-cuts.
In addition, many farm workers were poor and therefore using all edible parts of the cow became an essential way of life for early settlers and the gaucho, Argentina’s cowboy… Oh! Apart from liver, which I am reliably informed most Argentines despise.
Anyway, meat is so good in Argentina that once grilled and simply seasoned, dripped with chimichuri and lemon during cooking, you can almost eat the bones.
Beef up the history
Cows came to Argentina in 1536 with Pedro de Mendoza’s failed attempt to reestablish a stronghold on the Rio del la Plata Basin in the area now known as San Telmo. By 1541 they were forced to abandon their settlement and went home, persuaded and pursued by the angry Rio del la Plata tribes, Mendoza left their cows behind happily grazing and reproducing in the Pampas for 44 years.
In 1580, Juan de Garay re-founded a settlement in the area that is now Plaza de Mayo as an overflow from Asunción. Friends of mine from Paraguay often joke that they founded Buenos Aires.
Garay found that Pampas full of cows thriving in the wild with no predators and the Indians not too keen at this strange animals left by the white devils.
A good story and the start of the Argentine cattle trade – early settlers would organize “vaquerias” (from the Spanish word for cow: vaca), which were permits issued to hunt the cows across the Pampas. They would take the leather, eat what they needed and leave the carcass to rot. There really was no way of conserving the meat apart from drying.
Eventually, settlers became expert at drying the meat with salt. Dried beef fed the miners of Upper Peru now Bolivia, the slaves of Brazil and United States of America. The cattle boom came at the end of the 19th century when the refrigerated chambers on ships and trains meant export.
The possibility to export fresh cuts and Argentina’s geography (South Atlantic) and opposite seasons gave Argentina a unique competitive edge. Crossbreeding with the mighty Scots and American breeds improved the quality of the cattle and today Argentina is the third largest exporter of beef.
I recently came across a few lessons on Asado etiquette from the brilliant Asador (his food rocks) Sebastian Airaldi from the Buenos Aires Experience:
The typical Asado
A typical Asado begins at 11 am when the Asador (he who grills) starts the fire. The accouterments of choice are vegetable charcoal and you may add a log of oak or pine to add flavor. We remind you that Buenos Aires Experience offers asado cooking courses.
Guests also have role, it is to ensure that the Asador is happy. This means that you have to make sure his glass is always full with Malbec and he gets anything he may need, be it an empanada, or an extra knife.
The Asador will have to stand and cook for many hours and then serve the asado. This means getting dirty, being burnt and smelling like smoked beef jerky. He will not have a moment to sit down to enjoy his masterpiece – he eats directly from the grill whilst cooking.
The reward is that he chooses the best cuts for himself.
A good asado begins with a “copetin”, this is an aperitif accompanied with salami, cheese and potato chips. Then the “choripan” (sausage and bread) which works as a hunger reliever to give the asador more time before everybody gathers at the table. Read more on Asado etiquette….
Want an asado cooked for you at home by a professional>read more
Asado courses are all the rage for gringos on the hunt>read more
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