3 Foods (and 1 Beverage) Which I HAD to Have Again Before Leaving Buenos Aires

1. The Havana Merengue Alfajor

Alfajors come in all shapes and sizes. One might even argue that they are a symbol for diversity and acceptance, if one were truly cookie-crazy. At it's simplest, the basic principle is as follows: cookie, filling, cookie, covered in some type of sweet coating. For example, there's the Oreo Alfajor, which is a giant oreo cookie, oreo cream filling, giant oreo cookie, oreo cream filling, and then one more giant oreo cookie, all coated in chocolate. Some forgo the coating in lieu of rolling of the alfajor in coconut. More traditionally, you will find alfajors made of a soft shortbread-like cookie, then dulce de leche, then another shortbread-like cookie, all covered in  delicious dark, milk, or white chocolate, depending on your preference. Really, it's almost impossible to go wrong - it's two friggin' cookies with something sweet in between them, usually coated in chocolate. You could eat one of these babies at a funeral and leave smiling, for reals. 

But if you want the BEST alfajor, in my limited opinion, you have to have the merengue coated piece of heaven sold by Havana, a very popular coffee chain across Latin America. Nestled between two buttery soft cookies is the richest, creamiest, most delicious dulce de leche your tongue has ever had the privilege of tasting. Encompassing all of this sweet glory is a thin layer of delicately sugared, ever-so-slightly crispy merengue which crunches on initial impact, then melts into a soft sugary mess in your mouth. Each bite follows a perfect anatomical structure: crispy, chewy, creamy, chewy, and then crispy again. I tried to pack a couple of these aways for friends and family the first time I left Buenos Aires in March, but let's just say that they didn't do so well in my bag. Plus, I got hungry. Sorry.

2. Tita

I'm not huge on the combination of citrus and chocolate (or of fruit and chocolate in general, really) but Tita totally gets it right. Two crunchy, graham-cracker-esque cookies sandwich just the right amount of lemon frosting, and then the whole thing is - once again - coated in chocolate. The best part about it? The  packaging doesn't list calories or fat, only vitamins. So I'm pretty sure it's a health food. Right? Right? Someone back me up here.

3. Medialunas

Oh sure, they look like your average, run-of-the-mill croissant, but the medialuna kicks it up a notch by being coated in a sticky, sweet glaze. I can't remember the whole story (and I can't find any information on google to back up this claim) but someone told me that the medialuna was invented after some kind of victory over the Turkish. The half-moon shape, as is found on the Turkish flag, can then be aggressively "consumed" by the victors while the sweet glaze reminds them of the sweetness of victory, making this undoubtedly the most violent pastry I've ever eaten. 

Another thing to love about Buenos Aires? It's pretty damn common to eat three of these at a time. (Did I mention yet that I gained some weight in Argentina?) 

4. Mate

If there's one thing that Argentinians love, it's mate, and I can't blame them. Mate is made from the yerba mate plant and tastes similar to very strongly brewed green tea. Though some novices will add sugar (and I will admit, the first time I drank it, it was sweetened) purists need nothing more than a hollowed-out gourd, a special metal straw, a bag of dried leaves, and a thermos of hot water. 

Drinking mate is a very social thing and it is incredibly common to see large groups of friends at a park passing around the ol' gourd. (Other places I've seen Argentinians loving on some mate include, but are certainly not limited to: the front of a bus, the police office at the Argentinian/Chilean border, in a barber shop, and - my personal favorite - in a graveyard). When it's mate sharing time, whoever brought the supplies prepares the beverage with very hot, but not quite boiling, water. The server takes the first drink, draining the gourd of all of the mate-infused water, before refilling and passing the gourd clockwise. When the gourd is handed to you, suppress your instinct to say thank you! Thanking the server means that you are done and don't want another glass. After each person drains the cup, they pass it back to the server, who is responsible for refilling. The server in THIS photo is the lovely Victoria, who I had the pleasure of sharing my last mate with before leaving for Brasil. (And an extra big thank you to her for bringing her fancy mate gourd so I could photograph it for the blog!!) 

Mate is said to contain a variety of health benefits, and certainly gives you a nice energy boost. But a word of warning: drinking mate means consuming a whole lot of water and caffeine as well, so I wouldn't advise consuming it, say, immediately before you have to run for a very crowded subway where you will be stuck waiting for over two hours without a bathroom. I mean, I suppose something like that could happen to someone. Hypothetically, of course. Not me.

(Yeah, that was totally me).