What to make for dinner to celebrate the Christmas holidays like a true Argentine |
If you’re spending the holidays in Argentina, you may see houses and shops decorated with fake pine trees, fake snow and pictures of Santa (or Papá Noel) in sunglasses, ready to go to the beach.
Argentina doesn’t have a white Christmas like the Northern Hemisphere. Evenings in late December can reach 30° Celsius (86°F) or more. This is why Argentines have their own traditions for celebrating the holidays during the summer while also engaging in some of the traditional holiday symbolism, like having an uncle dress up in red and wear a fake white beard to drop a sack full of gifts for the little ones in the family.
Those fortunate enough spend Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve by the pool, having dinner and hanging around until the clock strikes 12. Unlike other countries, in Argentina many kids open their presents right after the midnight toast instead of waiting until Christmas morning.
The food options, including desert, are also tightly linked to the hot weather, so cold dishes are usually preferred.
Many families do a pot luck dinner — known as a la canasta — so tables are filled with an array of dishes. The way it works is easy: fill your plate with a bit of........