Beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

is a key component of traditional Argentine cuisine.

History

Cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

were first brought to Argentina in 1536 by

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...

''. Due to the geography of the

Pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazi ...

and a small national market, the cattle multiplied rapidly. Railway building within Argentina and the invention of refrigerated trains and ships in the late 19th century made an export market and Argentina's beef export industry started to thrive. The flipped seasons between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres meant that Argentine beef came onto the market at a time of year when beef was less at hand in the Northern Hemisphere, which further lifted the potential export market in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an markets. Following the rising demand for high-quality beef, new breeds and selective crossbreeding have been developed. Argentine beef and its production have played a major part in the

culture of Argentina The culture of Argentina is as varied as the country's geography and is composed of a mix of ethnic groups. Modern Argentinian culture has been influenced largely by Italian, Spanish, and other European immigration, while there is still a les ...

, from the '' asado'' to the history of the ''

gaucho A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...

s'' of the Pampas. Landowners became wealthy from beef production and export, and ''

estancia An estancia is a large, private plot of land used for farming or raising cattle or sheep. Estancias in the southern South American grasslands, the ''pampas'', have historically been estates used to raise livestock, such as cattle or sheep. In Pu ...

'' owners built large houses, important buildings in Buenos Aires and elsewhere, and contributed to politics, philanthropy, and society. The

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...

La Rural La Rural: Agricultural and Livestock Exhibition of Argentina ''La Exposición Rural'' (in English: The Rural Exhibition), is an annual agricultural and livestock show held in the Palermo section of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event is orga ...

'' each winter in Buenos Aires became a major part of the social season since it started in 1886. In

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, heightened taxes for the import of Argentine cattle in 1905 led to the

meat riots The Meat riot (Spanish: ''Huelga de la carne''), in the Chilean capital Santiago in October 1905, was a violent riot that originated from a demonstration against the tariffs applied to the cattle imports from Argentina. Primeros movimientos soc ...

, one of the first massive protests in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

. The price of meat was kept artificially high by the government, by means of the combination of a special tariff applied to cattle imports from Argentina, to protect the domestic producers, and a runaway inflation. The riots lasted from October 22 until October 27, and between 200 and 250 people were killed over this period, while more than 500 were injured. The financial losses were staggering. This revolt emphasized that the social problems were far more serious than what the authorities believed.

Recent years

Argentina has the world's second-highest consumption rate of beef, with yearly consumption at 55 kg per person. In 2006, livestock farmers kept between 50 and 55 million head of cattle, mostly in the fertile pastures of the Pampas. The country is currently the third-largest beef

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

er in the world after

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and Australia. The national government applies a 15% tax on beef exports and has applied further restrictions since March 2006 to keep domestic prices low. On 8 March 2006, after unsuccessfully trying to control the rising prices of beef in the internal market (26% since the beginning of that year), the Argentine government banned beef exports for 180 days (with the exception of prearranged shipments and the Hilton quota).Argentina suspends beef exports
On 26 May, the ban was replaced by a quota, to be in force between June and November, equivalent to 40% of the amount of beef exported in the same period of 2005. These measures met harsh criticism from livestock farmers, the meat processing industry, and the export sector; some analysts have said that it will be useless in the long term and harm Argentina's international image, besides causing large monetary losses. Other analysts have said it is the only adequate measure that deals with inflation and that the industry is the only one in Argentina profitable enough to sustain such a policy. In May 2021, the government decided to ban beef export for a month except for the Hilton Quota. Prices of meat in Argentina increased faster than the inflation in recent years and the government would like to limit inflation as well as increasing supply for the domestic market. From June on, it then slightly opened up the market again to Chile, Colombia or Israel but kept restrictions for the rest of 2021.

Foot-and-mouth disease crisis

Argentina's cattle industry had become a key growth driver in the economy, with Argentina ranking fourth in cow meat exports. Thus, it was crushing news when new cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) were found in 2001, for the first time in 60 years. Although FMD is usually harmless to people, the virus is easily spread between animals, making the slaughter of sick animals necessary. Argentine beef was banned by more than 60 countries, including the United States and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. After an aggressive vaccination programme, the Office International des Epizooties said in 2003 that Argentina had regained "foot-and-mouth free with vaccination" status. A few years later, new cases of FMD were discovered in a herd of cattle in a northern province of Argentina. As a result, Chile banned the import of Argentine meat.

Labelling

Food safety or quality labels are rarely used in Argentina, and a major initiative has been called for on this issue. There is no label certified by the government. The unsatisfactory situation concerning food safety becomes immediately clear by looking at the fact that the Argentine National Inspection Services audited and approved only 35 slaughterhouses in 2003 on Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). However, farmers as well as the export industry started to realize that there is a steadily increasing demand for safer and more reliable brands. To meet customer expectations, several initiatives have been taken. There are certificates handed out by private organizations, such as breed associations. For instance, the Argentine Angus Association established a ''Carne Angus Certificada'' to ensure that only meat coming from an Angus is described as Angus. Furthermore, the association supports other certificates like the ''Ternero Angus Certificado''. Besides the breed associations, different pilot projects have been initiated. The ''Pampas Del Salado'' project is an example of these; its approach has been to ear-tag calves in order to assure their origin and quality. However, most of those projects have only scant participation; certificates and labels will only gain reputation and acceptance among consumers only if there is a sufficiently large percentage of producers participating.

Promotion of Argentine beef

To increase sales in foreign countries and to improve the production and reliability of beef produced in Argentina, a public nongovernmental organization, the ''Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina''— the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute (IPCVA) was founded in December 2001. Furthermore, the IPCVA is also concerned with promotional work in Argentina itself. The IPCVA is made up of a range of partners involved in Argentine beef production and export, from experienced cattle farmers to managers. This broad expertise in various fields aims to allow the IPCVA to organize beef production and beef sales professionally. As a fairly young institution, the IPCVA has had to define an image which allows the identification of the main product, beef. Three key factors influence this image: history, tradition, and prestige. All of them are considered to be

unique selling proposition In marketing, the unique selling proposition (USP), also called the unique selling point, or the unique value proposition (UVP) in the business model canvas, is the marketing strategy of informing customers about how one's own brand or product is ...

International and national promotion

Several activities have been undertaken to make Argentine beef better known in the world: * The IPCVA participated in the International Food and Drink Exhibition held in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in March. *An Argentine Beef Festival was arranged last February in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. To promote the product, a big banquet was held at the Helsinki Oasis Hotel with the Argentine ambassador. *Representatives of the IPCVA traveled to

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

to negotiate a special contract to ease export of Argentine beef to the North American market. *Qualitative soundings are being developed in the main cities of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

to better know consumers' preferences to design specific promotion campaigns. However, with the export restrictions for beef set by the Argentine government, these measures may be of little use. Therefore, the IPCVA also focuses on promotion work in Argentina: *The IPCVA is developing the first beef consumption map in Argentina. Through complete research of the domestic market, an "X-Ray" of the beef consumption in the whole country will be set up and used for marketing and promotion purposes *"Las Leonas' Secret"— Las Leonas, the Argentine women's

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

team, has a contract with the IPCVA to eat Argentine beef. This prestigious sport is seen as key to promoting the meat, especially because prestige is one of the key factors of the Argentine beef image.

Funding of the IPCVA

These huge promotions are expensive. Therefore, the IPCVA arranged to get the following contributions for its budget: *1.25 Argentine pesos from producers per killed animal *0.55 Argentine pesos from packers per packed animal This adds up to 1.80 Argentine pesos per slaughtered animal. At a killing rate of 13 million animals per year, it totals 23,400,000 Argentine pesos. This is a budget of around €6,325,000 per year (March 28, 2006).

Goals of the IPCVA

The long-term goals of the IPCVA are described as follows on their website: *Identify and create demand for Argentine beef products in domestic and foreign markets. *Design and develop marketing strategies to improve Argentine beef products' competitiveness overseas. *Plan and develop promotion strategies to contribute to the improvement of domestic consumption levels. *Work to consolidate Argentine beef quality and security, contributing to the efficiency of productive and industrial processes." The IPCVA has become a major instrument to improve the international competitiveness of Argentine beef.

Statistics

Statistics for Argentine beef production and exports: Argentina annually produces about two 240-gram steaks per person worldwide and has six steaks more standing on its pastures.

Domestic market and export

The high consumption per capita shows that beef is profoundly integrated into traditional Argentine cuisine. However, as can be seen, beef exports are not an essential part of the Argentine economy. This is in large part because Argentina consumes most of its beef and the industry has been prevented from orienting itself to an export industry. Secondary reasons include the restrictive rules and regulations on beef of importing countries. For instance, Argentina agreed with the United States on an annual restriction of 20,000 tons. While these rules were not always in place in previous years/decades, Argentina still has not become a massive exporter of beef, but an exporter nonetheless. Even while beef exports are not fully developed for a larger contribution to the Argentine economy, Argentina has been a major player in the world beef market for many years, due in large part to the reputation of Argentine beef. From 2006 to 2015, beef exports were restricted by quota.

Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previo ...

removed the restrictions when he became president of Argentina. Volume of beef exported substantially increased. In 2005, Argentina couldn't sell more than 700,000 metric tons outside the country. In 2015, only 200,000 metric tons was exported. In May 2021, the new government decided to ban export for a month, except for the Hilton Quota. It had exported 933,000 tons of meat in the 12 previous months before the ban. The country slightly opened its industry to export during 2021. The government proposed to continue restrictions in 2022. China is the main client, buying 75% of beef exported from Argentina.

Cattle breeds

Shorthorn

Originally from northeast England, the

shorthorn The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late eighteenth century. The breed was developed as dual-purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however, certain blood lines within the breed always emp ...

was introduced to Argentina in 1826 and was the first foreign breed to enter the country. As in many other countries, Argentina's selection was designated to produce not only meat but milk as well. Nowadays, Argentina's Shorthorn breed has been bred to greatly improve its meat quality thanks to hybridisation (crossbreeding) as has been demonstrated at the National Agropecuarian Technology Center. Characteristics: considerable size; wide back and forequarters. A couple of centuries ago, they used to lack symmetry and uniformity.

Hereford

Produced with the objective of responding to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

's food market expansion during

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

's industrial revolution the Hereford is known for its high yield of beef. It was first introduced to Argentina in 1858, and is characterized by its juice and flavor consistency. Just as the Argentina's Shorthorn has evolved, so did the Argentine Hereford through crossbreeding with local breeds. Characteristics: high yield of beef; wide back; early maturity; rustling ability and hardiness.

Aberdeen Angus

Originally from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, the

Aberdeen Angus The Aberdeen Angus, sometimes simply Angus, is a Scottish breed of small beef cattle. It derives from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Kincardine and Angus in north-eastern Scotland. In 2018 the breed accounted for over ...

were first introduced to Argentina by Don Carlos Guerrero in 1879. They are generally found in temperate climates. Instead of focusing on crossbreeding in order to strength their qualities, Argentine farmers decided to focus on a purebred evolution based on natural and high-quality nutrition. Characteristics: maternal skills; highly fertile; growth capacity;

climate adaptation Climate change adaptation is the process of adjusting to current or expected effects of climate change.IPCC, 2022Annex II: Glossary öller, V., R. van Diemen, J.B.R. Matthews, C. Méndez, S. Semenov, J.S. Fuglestvedt, A. Reisinger (eds.) InClimat ...

; thin skin; short and smooth hair.

Holando-Argentina

Derived from the

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

, it was first introduced from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1880, to the fertile regions of the

, and devoted to the production of both beef and milk.

Zebu

Originally from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, the

Zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty h ...

is an animal used for pulling loads. Many different breeds can be found spread over the world since they were crossbred in order to pass on their tolerance to hot weather and strength. Characteristics: light colored; clear hump between the shoulders; large horns; hot climate and insect tolerance.

Charolais

Brought to Argentina around 1910, the Charolais breed is originally from Burgundy,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Focusing on size and strength, farmers paid little attention to their quality of meat and therefore to refinement. Characteristics: wide opened and round horns; long and tall; projecting shoulders and deep hips.

Recipes with Argentine beef

Beef is traditionally cooked over charcoal flame (as an ''asado'') and served often as part of a wider selection of grilled meat, with

chimichurri Chimichurri () is an uncooked sauce used both as an ingredient in cooking and as a table condiment for grilled meat. Found in Argentinian, Nicaraguan and Uruguayan cuisines,Joyce GoldsteinThe mysterious origins of chimichurri ''San Francisc ...

as a relish.

References

External links

* http://www.carilat.de/suedamerika/argentinien/landwirtschaft.htm
TED Case Studies
*http://www.pampasplains.com *https://web.archive.org/web/20070308110825/http://www.ifama.org/conferences/2003Conference/papers/jatibFOOD.pdf *https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031617/http://www.ifama.org/conferences/2005Conference/Symp_Presentations/CaseConference/2I_Palau.ppt#270,14,7) Final remarks *https://web.archive.org/web/20060515034045/http://www.angus.org.ar/carne.htm *http://www.viarural.com.ar/viarural.com.ar/ganaderia/asociaciones/shorthorn/default.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20060509171551/http://www.spectrumcommodities.com/education/commodity/statistics/cattle.html *https://archive.today/20121127112516/http://www.inta.gov.ar/ins/en/agriculture.htm *http://www.hereford.org.ar/ *http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/ *http://www.lavache.com/vamonde/images/france/charol/charolais.jpg *https://web.archive.org/web/20070524114708/http://www2.onleben.t-online.de/dyn/c/90/58/24/9058246.html *http://www.argentinebeef.org.ar *https://web.archive.org/web/20060519152344/http://www.napavintners.com/news/Temporary%20stuff/150%20dpi/Beef%20Tenderloin150.jpg *https://web.archive.org/web/20060512201420/http://www.slowfoodsiena.it/foto2/ungheria_olga_gulash.JPG

Books and newspapers

*Pauli ''Classical Cooking the Modern Way'' *''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'',

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, February 13, 2006 *''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...

'',

, March 18, 2006, pg 69 *''The Wall Street Journal'' (Eastern Edition): Argentine Cows Plan Moved to Feedlots: Turner, Taos; New York, NY; September 1, 2004; pg. 1 {{DEFAULTSORT:Argentine Beef Beef Argentine cuisine