Uruguayan Cuisine

Uruguayan cuisine, like its neighbour Argentina, revolves around beef and the sacred, sociable ritual of the asado, the barbecue over wood embers that is the centrepiece of family and social life. Its parrilla grill houses serve superb steaks and every cut, and its signature dish is the chivito, a towering, indulgent steak sandwich piled with ham, cheese, egg and more. Add the Italian-influenced pasta and pizza, the sweet dulce de leche, the wine, and the ever-present mate tea, and it is a hearty, beef-loving food culture.

What you actually see

• The asado - the sacred wood-fired barbecue of grilled meats.
• The chivito - the towering steak sandwich with all the trimmings.
• The parrilla - the grill house, like the Mercado del Puerto.
• Mate and dulce de leche - the shared tea and the caramel sweet.

When to go

Year-round; the asado is best shared, an unhurried social occasion, and the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo is the atmospheric temple of the parrilla grill. Mate, the shared bitter tea, accompanies daily life everywhere.

Honest expectations

It is very meat-heavy, a real challenge for vegetarians, though the pasta, pizza and salads offer alternatives. The asado is as much a social ritual as a meal. Mate, the shared bitter herbal tea sipped from a gourd through a metal straw, is central to daily life and comes with its own etiquette. The beef and asado, though, are world-class, and the experience genuinely convivial.

Nearby

Montevideo's Mercado del Puerto is the classic parrilla; the estancias offer country asados.