Chimichurri

Best steak in Barrio Norte

Let's go over this again, it's been a while. Chimichurri. What is it? Chimichurri is a condiment that hails from Argentina. Contrary to popular American opinion chimichurri is not green, it is orange. The header for this blog is a close up of chimichurri.

I don't know why chimichurri this or chimichurri that is on all the menus in American restaurants these days. I don't know why they sell bottles of green gunk in grocery stores either. Why is the Patagonian tooth fish known as Sea Bass? It's all marketing I suppose.

If you go to Argentina and you eat somewhere that isn't a tourist hangout, like around Recoleta cemetery is, you will not see chimichurri on all of the tables and you will not see Portenos slathering it on everything they eat. Chimichurri is a condiment. I ate many steaks in Buenos Aires and I was never asked if I wanted chimichurri with my steak.

Argentineans put chimichurri on choripan.  A choripan is a grilled chorizo sausage sandwich. Chimichurri usually contains garlic so some Argentineans don't like to eat it but every once in a while. Around Calle Florida in the busy city central in B.A. there some places that make choripan and other sandwiches daily. They are usually small with a few high top table and some counter top space.

On the tables you will see styrofoam cups sitting out with a plastic spoon sticking up out of the cup. This is chimichurri and you add as much as you like when you get your choripan. It is very thick and the oil usually separates out of it so it needs stirring. It isn't spicy. Argentinean food isn't very spicy.  It's for the bread. It's the wet component for the dry bread. Like we put ketchup and mustard on hotdogs, yes it's for the taste but it is also easier to eat versus a plain weeny on a bun. And imagine the bun being a baguette.

Someone once said to me they were making chimichurri rice. Can you imagine someone saying they are making mustard rice or ketchup rice. You'd think they were crazy. That's how Argentineans think about Americans that have suddenly begun putting what isn't even real chimichurri on everything and calling it Argentinean inspired.

I think we've gotten to the point where we no longer think that those U shaped crispy yellow taco shells that your mom used to serve ground beef  in are tacos. Now we need to get educated on what chimichurri is and what it is used for as well.

Buen provecho!

Chimichurri ingredients just before going to the blender.