The history of Argentine cuisine is rich and diverse. As a land that has experienced extensive immigration through many years, the country has benefited from numerous food influences. The diverse climate in the region, ranging from subtropical to subpolar, has also helped to considerably broaden the set of ingredients readily available. European settlers are largely responsible for Argentina's cuisine, mostly the

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

and

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both in ...

. However, other immigrants such as

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, the French,

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, among others, brought their styles of cooking and national recipes with them. Nevertheless, indigenous gastronomies derived from groups such as the

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

, and Guarani have also played a role; for example, mate is consumed throughout the country.

Timeline

Several

Indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

lived in Argentina long before the European colonizers arrived. Indigenous peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the

Argentine Northwest The Argentine Northwest (''Noroeste Argentino'') is a geographic and historical region of Argentina composed of the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán. Geography The Argentine Northwest comprises ...

were farmers who grew squash, melons, and sweet potatoes. The Guaraní, who lived in the northeast, were hunter gatherers. Spanish settlers came to Argentina in 1536 and introduced cattle to 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 ...

, which would have a profound effect on the cuisine of Argentina. Throughout the 19th century, millions of immigrants arrived to Argentina. Most were from Italy and Spain. The Italians introduced pizza, as well as many pasta dishes, including spaghetti and lasagna. The British started the tradition of

teatime Tea (in reference to food, rather than the drink) has long been used as an umbrella term for several different meals. English writer Isabella Beeton, whose books on home economics were widely read in the 19th century, describes meals of var ...

. The French, German, Welsh, Swiss, Jewish, Central and Eastern Europeans have also influenced the country's cuisine. In 1931, renown

Afro-Argentine Afro-Argentines are people in Argentina of primarily Sub-Saharan African descent. The Afro-Argentine population is the result of people being brought over during the transatlantic slave trade during the centuries of Spanish domination in the reg ...

chef Antonio Gonzaga published Argentina's first cookbook, ''El cocinero práctico argentino'' ("The Practical Argentine Cookbook"), credited as the first cookbook in Argentina. The book detailed traditional Argentine cuisine with painstaking effort, chronicling over 300 recipes. Gonzaga's unabashed focus on traditional Argentine cooking (specifically, that of the ''gauchos'' and the rural working class) is credited with popularizing '' asado'' in Buenos Aires and among the Argentine upper classes, who until then disdained Argentine traditions and instead favored French cuisine. In particular, the use of ''achuras'' such as '' chorizo'' and chitterlings, and the steps for preparing the ''asado'', are credited to Gonzaga's recipes in ''El cocinero práctico''. Gonzaga's popularity was eventually overshadowed by another famous Argentine cookbook writer,

Doña Petrona Petrona Carrizo de Gandulfo (June 29, 1896 – February 6, 1992), better known as Doña Petrona, was an Argentine best-selling cookbook writer, home economist, television chef and businesswoman who was famous for "her elaborate dishes, pro ...

, who would go on to revolutionize the field by becoming Argentina's first

television chef A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become a celebrity. Today, chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations, usually through the media of television and radio, or in printed publications. While televisio ...

References

* {{Argentina-cuisine-stub