Recipes for Grilling

In South America weekends are a time to get together and eat meat – lots of it! Hosting a grilling extravaganza called an asado is a great way to celebrate. The tradition of slowing roasting many different cuts of meat over a fire comes from the cattle farming countries such as Argentina and Uruguay, but the tradition has spread throughout South America.

Simply seasoned meat is typically the main show, but there are lots of other things that cook well on the grill, and South Americans like to experiment. There are many unique grilling techniques that come from the region as well, such as the famous Colombian dish lomo al trapo (an entire beef filet wrapped in a thick layer of salt and cloth and cooked in the coals. The Patagonian chef Francis Mallman has a cookbook called Seven Fires in which he describes a total of seven different methods for cooking over a fire. South Americans have a true passion for this ancient way of cooking, something they are happy to share with the rest of the world.