Chorizo Criollo / Argentino

The first chorizos made in Argentina, in the eighteenth century, reproduced the Spanish recipes brought by the Andalusian and Castilian settlers. But Argentine pork, raised on the plains of the pampa with an abundance of maize, produces a fattier, milder meat than that of the cerdo ibérico. In two generations, the criollo butchers had lightened the spices, removed the smoked pimentón that defines the Spanish chorizo and reduced the use of garlic to let the quality of the meat speak. The result kept only the form and the name of the original product.

The present composition (shoulder, panceta, sweet paprika, oregano, garlic powder, white wine) has remained stable since the end of the nineteenth century among artisanal butchers in Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Rosario. Oregano, a spice rare in continental European charcuterie, is a constant in criollo cooking, reflecting the influence of waves of Italian and Spanish migration. White wine replaces the vinegar used in the Mexican and Venezuelan chorizos, bringing more sweetness and roundness.

The choripán is the dominant culinary use of the chorizo criollo: split in two in a pan francés, brushed with chimichurri or salsa criolla (finely cut onions, chillies, oil and an acid element such as vinegar or lime juice). It is the best-selling street dish in Argentina, present outside every stadium, on every market square and at the entrance of every parrilla. At the asado, chorizo is served as a starter before the beef cuts, along with morcilla and achuras (offal). Uruguay shares this tradition with a comparable intensity: the Uruguayan parrilla holds a place equivalent to the Argentine parrilla, with the chorizo criollo as an invariable starter.