Argentine cheese is by far the most produced
dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
product in the country, making Argentina the second largest cheese producer in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
and among the top 10 cheese-producing countries in the world.
[Papademas & Bintsis, eds. (2018). p. 175] In addition, Argentina is the Latin American country that consumes the most cheese, with 12 kilos per capita per year.
Production is mainly centered in the
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
of
Córdoba,
Santa Fe and
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, in the
Pampas
The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazil ...
region of the central and east-central parts of the country.
In the 18th century—during the
colonial era—Argentina was the place of origin of the Tafí del Valle and Goya cheeses which, along with
Chanco
Chanco is a name traditionally assigned to a Native American who is said to have warned a Jamestown colonist, Richard Pace, about an impending Powhatan attack in 1622. This article discusses how the Native American came to be known as Chanco.
...
from
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, constitute the oldest cheeses created in the
Southern Cone
The Southern Cone ( es, Cono Sur, pt, Cone Sul) is a geographical and cultural subregion composed of the southernmost areas of South America, mostly south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Traditionally, it covers Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, bou ...
region of
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
.
Tafí del Valle is the oldest cheese of Argentina and originated in what is now the
city of the same name in
Tucumán, traditionally attributed to
Jesuit missionaries
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
,
while Goya was created in what is now the
city of the same name in
Corrientes
Corrientes (; Guaraní language, Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Corrientes Province, Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from ...
.
These cheeses are one of the few typical Latin American food products with nearly three hundred years of history, along with
tequila
Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the Agave tequilana, blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands ...
from Mexico,
pisco
Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored brandy produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternative t ...
from Peru and Chile, and
chicha
''Chicha'' is a fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jora'') made from a variety of maize land ...
, among others.
Modern Argentine cheesemaking culture emerged as a result of the
major European immigration wave that took place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
which turned
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
into a "
melting pot
The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous throug ...
" and a great
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
city, while radically changing the customs of both the
working
Working may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
Arts and media
* Working (musical), ''Working'' (musical), a 1978 musical
* Working (TV series), ''Working'' (TV s ...
and
upper classes
Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is gen ...
. These immigrants, especially those from
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, introduced the cheesemaking technologies of their home countries and attempted to recreate their cheeses.
Popular cheeses of Argentine origin include
Reggianito
Reggianito is an Argentine cheese that is a very hard, granular, cows' milk cheese. The cheese was developed by Italian immigrants to Argentina who wished to make a cheese reminiscent of their native Parmigiano Reggiano. The name—the Spanish d ...
,
Sardo
Sardo is a hard, grating cow's milk Argentine cheese that is similar to Pecorino Romano, although the latter is made from sheep's milk and is sharper. Sardo comes from Argentina, and is not to be confused with Pecorino Sardo, another Italian shee ...
,
Cremoso
Cremoso (in Spanish language, Spanish, ''creamy'') is a semi-soft Argentine cheese made with cow's milk, with or without the addition of cream. It derives from Italian cheeses with similar characteristics as Crescenza.
It is the most consumed ch ...
,
Provoleta
Provoleta is an Argentine variant of provolone cheese described as "Argentine pulled-curd Provolone cheese". It is eaten grilled in Argentina and Uruguay. It can be made on a grill, or indoors in a cast-iron pan. The cheese should be firm and able ...
and Pategrás.
Production
The Argentine
dairy industry
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a ...
is highly developed and is among the most modern in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
.
Cheese is by far the most produced dairy product in the country, accounting for approximately 45% of national milk production, making the country one of the top 10 cheese-producing countries in the world and the second in Latin America after
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
More than half of the total cheese production of the country corresponds to soft cheeses (with
Cremoso
Cremoso (in Spanish language, Spanish, ''creamy'') is a semi-soft Argentine cheese made with cow's milk, with or without the addition of cream. It derives from Italian cheeses with similar characteristics as Crescenza.
It is the most consumed ch ...
being the most consumed in the country),
followed by semi-hard cheeses (30%) and hard cheeses (15%).
Dairy production is mainly centered in the
Pampas
The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazil ...
region of the central and east-central parts of Argentina, the region of the country most influenced by the
Great European immigration wave of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...
with the most important cheese production are
Córdoba,
Santa Fe and
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
and to a lesser extent
La Pampa
La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.
History
I ...
,
Entre Ríos and
San Luis.
Due to the wide range of high-quality cheese produced in Argentina, imports of cheeses are very low—between 2,000 and 8,000 million tonnes—and mainly come from Brazil and Uruguay.
The country to which the most cheese is exported is Brazil—accounting for 43% of the total exports as of 2011—followed by Venezuela, Russia, Mexico, Chile and South Korea.
Argentina is also the Latin American country that consumes the most cheese, with 12 kilos per capita per year.
As a result of increased consumption, the cheese production in the country grew significantly in the
2000s
File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled durin ...
decade, going from 430,955 tonnes in 2001 to 508,000 tonnes in 2009.
During this period, cheese consumption went from 8.3 kg per capita in 2003 to 12.4 kg per capita in 2012.
Argentine cheeses
Hard cheeses
* Goya — One of the oldest cheeses of Argentina,
it was created by Gregoria Morales in the late 18th century in the province of
Corrientes
Corrientes (; Guaraní language, Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Corrientes Province, Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from ...
.
Morales' nickname was Goya, so the cheese began to be called by that name, as well as
the town where she was based, 200 km from the city of
Corrientes
Corrientes (; Guaraní language, Guaraní: Taragüí, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the Provinces of Argentina, province of Corrientes Province, Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about from ...
.
By 1840, Goya was so popular that it was the best-selling cheese in the city of Buenos Aires.
The cheese is now regarded as a
classic
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
of Argentine culture.
Along with the Tafí del Valle cheese, Goya is one of the few typical Latin American food products with nearly three hundred years of history.
*
Reggianito
Reggianito is an Argentine cheese that is a very hard, granular, cows' milk cheese. The cheese was developed by Italian immigrants to Argentina who wished to make a cheese reminiscent of their native Parmigiano Reggiano. The name—the Spanish d ...
— A popular
Grana-type cheese that is made from cow's milk and is mainly produced in the provinces of
La Pampa
La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.
History
I ...
,
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
,
Santa Fe,
Córdoba and
San Luis.
[Papademas & Bintsis, eds. (2018). pp. 197–199] Reggianito is based on Italian hard cheeses such as
Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months.
It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' is ...
and
Grana Padano
Grana Padano is a cheese originating in the Po river Valley in northern Italy that is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. There are less strict regulations governing its production compared to Parmigiano Reggiano. This hard, crumbly- textured ...
, as it is the result of the adaptation of the cheesemaking technology introduced by
Italian immigrants
The Italian diaspora is the large-scale emigration of Italians from Italy.
There were two major Italian diasporas in Italian history. The first diaspora began around 1880, two decades after the Risorgimento, Unification of Italy, and ended in the ...
.
In fact, its name is a
diminutive
A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
of Reggiano and can be translated as "Little Reggiano", as it is produced in much smaller wheels and only aged for 5–6 months.
Reggianito has been credited as one of the reasons why Parmigiano Reggiano received
Protected Denomination of Origin
Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...
, as "Italian cheesemakers feared
twould become a serious threat to their export market."
Reggianito is considered the most important hard cheese of Argentina, as it is the most exported and most consumed in the country.
Semi-hard cheeses
* Chubut — Named after the Patagonian province of
Chubut, where it was created by
Welsh immigrants during the mid-to-late 19th century as they prepared a homemade cheese following the techniques of their ancestors.
[Balmaceda (2016). "Queso Chubut y tren lechero"] The popularity of this cheese spread thanks to the Magnasco company, which registered Chubut cheese in 1900 and began producing it in the city of
Río Cuarto, Córdoba.
This product was later detached from the original formula and began to be known as Río Cuarto cheese.
Chubut cheese has historically been popular as a pairing with
quince paste (Spanish: ''dulce de membrillo''), a combination called ''queso y dulce'' () or ''vigilante'', a typical dessert of Argentine cuisine.
[Balmaceda (2016). "Queso y dulce: El postre nacional"]
* Holanda — Also known as Mar del Plata for having been created in the coastal
city of the same name, it is a semi-fat cheese that is made with partially skimmed cow's milk and is matured from 4 to 12 months.
It has a light yellowish color and well scattered eyes, and its rind is naturally paraffined or colored with red or yellow paint.
For this reason, Holanda cheese is also known as Cáscara Colorada (English for "red rind").
Some sources consider Holanda to be another name for the local semi-hard cheese Pategrás.
It is related to
Edam cheese
Edam ( nl, Edammer, ) is a semi-hard cheese that originated in the Netherlands, and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland. Edam is traditionally sold in flat-ended spheres with a pale yellow interior and a coat, or r ...
, which was adapted by European immigrants.
* Pategrás — The most popular semi-hard cheese produced in Argentina.
[Papademas & Bintsis, eds. (2018). pp. 344–346] It is made with pasteurized cow's milk and has a white-yellowish and uniform color, which has a firm and compact texture and an elastic consistency.
Pategrás has a characteristic sweet flavor and a clean, well-developed aroma.
The rind of the cheese is smooth and closed, generally covered with a layer of natural paraffin or colored with a red or yellow plastic emulsion.
There is a variety of Pategrás known as "pategrás sandwich" or "queso barra", which has a more elastic texture and does not have eyes, with the intention of being cut into thin slices.
*
Provoleta
Provoleta is an Argentine variant of provolone cheese described as "Argentine pulled-curd Provolone cheese". It is eaten grilled in Argentina and Uruguay. It can be made on a grill, or indoors in a cast-iron pan. The cheese should be firm and able ...
— A local variant of
Provolone
Provolone (, ) is an Italian cheese. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' (stretched-curd) cheese originating in Campania near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in othe ...
that is traditionally grilled and eaten as an appetizer while barbecuing.
It was created by the Italian immigrant Natalio Alba in the 1940s, looking to find a cheese that could be cooked as part of the typical Argentine ''
asado
' () is the technique and the social event of having or attending a barbecue in various South American countries, especially Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay where it is also a traditional event. An ''asado'' usually consists of beef, po ...
''.
Provoleta entered the Food Code in 1955 under the name ''Queso Provolone Hilado Argentino'' (English: "Argentine Stretched Provolone Cheese").
*
Sardo
Sardo is a hard, grating cow's milk Argentine cheese that is similar to Pecorino Romano, although the latter is made from sheep's milk and is sharper. Sardo comes from Argentina, and is not to be confused with Pecorino Sardo, another Italian shee ...
— A yellowish white cheese similar to
Pecorino Romano
Pecorino Romano () is a hard, salty Italian cheese, often used for grating, made with sheep's milk. The name "pecorino" simply means "ovine" or "of sheep" in Italian; the name of the cheese, although protected, is a simple description rather than ...
, although the latter is made from sheep's milk while Sardo is made with cow's milk.
In its youth, Sardo is a semi-hard cheese with a soft, sweet and aromatic flavor, and as it matures it acquires more hardness and a more intense flavor.
In fact, Sardo may also be considered a hard cheese.
* Tafí del Valle — The cheese of
Tafi del Valle
Tafi may refer to:
People
* Andrea Tafi (disambiguation), several people
* Noushin Tafi (born 1981)
Places
* Darreh Tefi (disambiguation)
*Tafí del Valle
*Tafí Viejo, Tucumán
Tafí Viejo is an Argentine town in the Province of Tucumán. Th ...
,
Tucumán, is the oldest cheese of Argentine origin, created in the 18th century and traditionally attributed to
Jesuit missionaries
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
.
Along with Goya cheese, Tafí del Valle cheese is one of the few typical Latin American food products with nearly three hundred years of history.
Every year, the city of Tafí del Valle hosts the National Cheese Festival (Spanish: ''Festival Nacional del Queso'').
Soft cheeses
*
Cremoso
Cremoso (in Spanish language, Spanish, ''creamy'') is a semi-soft Argentine cheese made with cow's milk, with or without the addition of cream. It derives from Italian cheeses with similar characteristics as Crescenza.
It is the most consumed ch ...
— Also known as Mantecoso (English: "buttery") and Fresco (English: "fresh"),
Cremoso cheese is defined by the Argentine Food Code as a "high and very high moisture product, made from whole milk or standardized milk, with or without the addition of cream, acidified by lactic bacteria culture and coagulated by rennet and/or specific enzymes."
Cremoso is a white-yellowish cheese, with a sweet and slightly acid taste.
Its paste is soft and somewhat elastic, and it is matured between 20 and 30 days.
Cremoso is derived from the cheeses of Italy and Switzerland.
As its name suggests, Cremoso varies between a somewhat elastic texture, and a creamy and sticky consistency.
It is the most popular cheese in Argentina, as it is prized for its high meltability.
* Cuartirolo — Defined by the Argentine Food Code as a "high and very high moisture product, made from whole milk or standardized milk, acidified by lactic bacteria culture and coagulated by rennet and/or specific enzymes."
Some authors consider Cuartirolo to be another name for Cremoso cheese,
with the 2017 book ''Global Cheesemaking Technology''—edited by Photis Papademas and Thomas Bintsis—noting that: "Even if some sources in the literature and the Argentinean legislation distinguish between
remoso and Cuartirolo they are virtually the same".
[Papademas & Bintsis, eds. (2018). pp. 307–309]
*
Quesillo
Quesillo (, meaning "little cheese") refers to different Latin American, Spanish, and Filipino foods or dishes depending on the country:
Argentina
Argentine ''quesillo'' is a notable product of the Calchaquíes and Lerma valleys. It dates ...
— Artisan cheese produced in the
Argentine Northwest
The Argentine Northwest (''Noroeste Argentino'') is a geographic and historical region of Argentina composed of the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.
Geography
The Argentine Northwest comprises v ...
, mainly the provinces of
Catamarca and
Tucumán, but also
Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surf ...
,
Salta
Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...
and
Jujuy
San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in Argentine Northwest, northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Depa ...
.
It is defined as a "fresh product obtained by
spinning
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
an acidified paste" and an "intermediate product obtained by coagulation of milk by means of rennet and supplemented or not by the action of specific lactic acid bacteria".
Quesillo's origin dates back to the dairy activity developed by the original locals of the region, being a traditional product made mainly by women with recipes passed down from generation to generation.
In 2017, after an initiative supported by the governments of Tucumán, Salta and Catamarca, Quesillo was officially incorporated to the Argentine Food Code, which enables the cheese to be produced and distributed outside the informality that characterized it until then.
See also
*
Argentine cuisine
Argentine cuisine is described as a cultural blending of Mediterranean influences brought by the Spanish during the colonial period and, later, by Italian and Spanish immigrants to Argentina during 19th and 20th centuries, with influences fro ...
*
List of Argentine dishes
This is a list of dishes found in Argentine Cuisine.
Dishes
Appetizers and starters
Main dishes
Sauces
See also
* List of cuisines
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argentine Dishes, List Of
*
Lists of foods by nationality
Dishes
*
List of Argentine sweets and desserts
*
List of Italian cheeses
:''This page lists more than 1,000 types of Italian cheese but is still incomplete; you can help by expanding it.''
This is an article of Italian cheeses. Italy is the country with the highest variety of cheeses in the world, with over 2500 tradit ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
{{Cheese
Cheese
Argentine cheeses
Argentine cuisine