Steak Is An Integral Part Of Argentina's Culinary Culture

Carnivores, rejoice! There is a travel destination where steak is not only frequently on the menu, it's ingrained in the actual culinary culture of the country, and is even the official national dish. This place is the South American country of Argentina. If you visit, you'd be remiss not to hit up a parilla — AKA steakhouse or asado (AKA barbecue) — during your visit to try out some of the delicious steak options.

While Wander Argentina reports that the average Argentinian eats a whopping 2.6 pounds of steak every week, Argentinian steak is not only essential to the country as a food staple, but also because of the sense of culture that revolves around cooking steaks. Per Trafalgar, most steak is cooked communal style through a method called asado, which is similar to what we might call barbecuing, with a few important differences. For these asados, pits are dug and filled with volcanic stones or ceramic bricks. A grill is then placed on top and the fire is always fueled by wood or charcoal briquettes — you'll never see any kind of artificial accelerants involved. Interested in attending an asado? You're not alone. Argentina is famously home to the largest asado in the world, and the barbecues tend to be family or community events that occur on most Sunday afternoons with get-togethers centered around the cooking festivities (via Wander Argentina).