Argentina, while most definitely in the Southern Hemisphere, has a large number of European descendants. Evidence of this is displayed in Mendoza through all of the Italian foods (see my post about this…..) and in the numbers of German colonies spread throughout the Country, specifically around Buenos Aires and Cordoba. Between the years of 1885 and 1922 the population of Argentina doubled with 3 million European immigrants. Of these, 100,000 were German speaking. One of the things that is visibly evident here is the light features of many people. Our girls don’t stand out at all by their hair or skin color. There are many children in their school with bright blue eyes, blond hair and fair skin who speak flawless Argentinian Spanish. According to a 2010 census, 33-36% of Argentinians consider themselves “White Latin Americans”.
This makes for potentially interesting gastronomic experiences. For example, we were invited to our new friend Marta’s house last Saturday for dinner. Marta’s husband, Esteban’s mother is from Austria, his father is Checoslovakian. He was born and raised in Argentina, but for the first four years of his life he spoke only German. His Spanish now is as fast and furious as any Argentinian I have met, but he did grow up with some German traditions which Marta has learned to reproduce, not the least of which is Hungarian Goulash!
Our visit with them was a lovely mixture of modern Argentina and old Austria. Esteban helps to run a fairly new, very small boutique vineyard that is not open to the public. We were lucky enough to get a private tour and tasting of ‘Tercos’ (‘stubborn’) wines. Situated in the winemaking mecca of Lujan de Cuyo-about 25 minutes South of downtown Mendoza, Tercos’ entire wine production occurs in one building. They produce about 8000 bottles per year of Malbec, Torrontes, Bonarda and a few other varietals, and export all of it (except of course what they take home).
nothing like an empty bodega for running around!
now that's close to the source
At Tercos, they use three different aging environments-cement tanks, traditional stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. One of the things I am learning is that no matter how scientific you get, wine-making will always be a craft and an organic process, and the most effective way to arrive at the best tasting wine is to sample it regularly. This is the only way that enologists know for sure when their wine is ready. Each tank at Tercos has a spigot on it, and we walked from one to the other sampling what was inside.
After 5 or 6 samples, and some very interesting discussion about aroma, flavor, yeast, mold and oak, we returned to their house to prepare for goulash. This involved a classic spaetzle batter consisting of flour, eggs, milk and butter and a wonderful traditional spaetzle making instrument from Esteban’s grandmother.
Spaetzle is where dumplings meet noodles. They have that doughy, chewy texture that makes dumplings so comforting, but are lighter and stringier and able to hold a sauce like noodles. The classic technique is to hold the spaetzle maker (or colander in many cases) over a pot of boiling water and push the dough through the holes so they drop right into the pot. They cook very quickly, and are ready as soon as they float to the top.
The girls had first row seats
We ate our spaetzle with a traditional beef and sour cream goulash, but I have seen spaetzle served simply with butter and cheese, or more complexly with herbs and vegetables. The possibilities are endless. Below is a classic spaetzle recipe from ‘europeancuisines.com’ and a few ideas for variations.
- 3 cups unbleached flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup (or more) water
- 1/4 cup butter
Sift the flour, salt and nutmeg together in a bowl. Pour eggs and 1/4 cup water into middle of flour mixture: beat with a wooden spoon.
Add enough water to make the dough slightly sticky, yet keeping it elastic and stiff.
For a slightly richer dough, use milk instead of water, and for a healthier dough, use half whole wheat flour.
Cooking up the good life 
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