by Luz Conte
How much do you know about Latin food? Let’s find out!
Try answering these questions before you look for the real answer below, and see if you really know the Latin cuisine.
What is Gazpacho?
Gazpacho’s roots come all the way from before the Americas were colonized by feudal Europe in Spain and Portugal. It is vegetable soup served cold and typically is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and other herbs and spices to taste.
Latin American cuisine, which is heavily influenced by European cuisine, has adapted gazpacho to include spicy peppers, cilantro, and in some cases potatoes. Gazpacho is best served with a side of stale bread (really!).
What is a Pupusa?
These El Salvadorian street food favorites are made by stuffing fried rice flour dough filled with an assortment of meats, vegetables, and cheeses. If you find yourself walking the streets of San Salvador, you’ll likely run across more than one large circular griddle finishing off freshly made pupusas, and you should most definitely stop for a bite.
Pupusas are also popular in neighboring Honduras, and are often mistaken for Colombian and Venezuelan arepas.
What is an Arepa?
I’m glad you asked! Unlike pupusas, which are made from rice flour, arepas are pan-fried tortillas made from corn, then stuffed with popular meat and cheese combinations. Arepas have been enjoyed since the pre-Colombian era in ancient Latin America in the region which now occupies Colombia and Venezuela.
These little fried circles of heaven are ubiquitous with the Colombian and Venezuelan culture, and are commonly found being shoveled into people’s mouths out of food trucks and carts in the city streets.
What is Chimichurri?
This hearty green sauce is what you’ll find on most grilled meats in Argentina and Uruguay. It is traditionally made with finely chopped parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt, white vinegar, and fresh oregano, but can take on other ingredients, herbs, and spices depending on who you’re asking and what you’re putting it on.
‘Chimichurri’ loosely translates to ‘a mixture of several things in no particular order’ – a description that perfectly describes how the sauce originally came together. The word comes from the Basque culture, who migrated to Argentina in the 19th century.
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