Although many
meals end simply
with fresh
fruit,
Argentines have
a fairly sweet
tooth and love
anything with
sugar, starting
with the
national craze,
dulce de
leche .
Even breakfast
tends to be
dominated by
sweet things
such as sticky
croissants (
media lunas
), delicious
jams and honey
or
chocolate con
churros
, Andalucian-style
hot chocolate
with fritters,
sometimes filled
with
dulce de
leche . Ice
cream, all kinds
of cakes and
biscuits
including
alfajores
(maize-flour
cookie
sandwiches,
filled with jam
or
dulce de
leche ,
sometimes coated
with chocolate),
pastries called
facturas
and all
kinds of candies
and sweets are
popular with
Argentines of
all ages.
However, for
dessert you'll
seldom be
offered anything
other than the
tired old trio
of
flan
(a kind of crème
caramel,
religiously
served with a
thick custard or
dulce de
leche ),
budín de pan
(a heavy,
syrupy version
of bread
pudding) and
fresh fruit
salad (
ensalada de
fruta ). And
in Andean
regions, you'll
most likely be
served
dulce vigilante
, a dessert
consisting of a
slab of a
neutral, pallid
cheese called
quesillo and
candied fruit
such as sweet
potato (
batata ),
quince (
membrillo ),
alcayote
(a kind of
spaghetti
squash), pumpkin
(
zapallo
) or lime (
lima ).
Panqueques
or crepes are
also popular,
stuffed with
either apple (
manzana )
or the
ubiquitous
dulce de leche
.
With such a
large Italian
community it is
not surprising
that good ice
cream (
helado ) is
easy to come by
in Argentina. In
fact the ice
cream isn't
good, it's
superb, arguably
the world's
best. Even the
tiniest village
has at least one
heladería
artesanal ,
serving scoop
upon scoop of
ice cream of an
amazing rainbow
of colours to
toddlers and
grandparents and
everyone in
between. In
cities, there
are often dozens
of different
shops to choose
from. The cones
and cups are
usually
prominently
displayed, with
the price
clearly marked.
If you're
feeling really
self-indulgent
you might like
to have your
cone dipped in
melted chocolate
( bañado
). Some of the
leading
ice-cream makers
offer an
overwhelming
range of
flavours (
sabores ),
including
several variants
of dulce de
leche .
Chocolate chip (
granizado
) is a favourite,
and raspberry
mousse (
mousse de
frambuesa )
also takes some
beating.
