Dante Ate His Way Through South America's Underrated Food Cities
I met Dante through one of those loose chains of travellers who all seem to know one person with very strong opinions about where to eat. In his case, the recommendation came with a warning that if I asked one simple question about food in South America, I should be prepared to stay awhile. That turned out to be true. Dante talks about cities through what they feed people, and once he gets going, you begin to understand places differently.
Everyone talks about Lima, Dante says, and he is not here to argue otherwise. But South America is far too large and too varied for the food conversation to stop with the same handful of famous places. He has spent years eating his way across the continent and keeps noticing that the cities drawing the least international attention are often the ones feeding people best. They are cooking for locals rather than for reputation, and Dante thinks that nearly always leads to more interesting meals.
The pattern, as he sees it, is simple. The cities written about endlessly begin performing for an outside audience. The cities that are ignored are still feeding themselves. Dante says those are the places worth taking seriously, because the food there tends to be better, more rooted and far less expensive. He is always looking for the second kind of city.
Mendoza, Argentina
Dante says Mendoza is dismissed too quickly as a wine city when it should also be taken seriously as a food city. Its Italian and Spanish immigrant roots still shape the way it eats, and the produce from the surrounding agricultural region gives local kitchens an advantage before they even begin cooking. He speaks especially highly of the parrillas there and says some of the best grill meals he has had anywhere in Argentina were in rooms full of locals on completely ordinary evenings.
He also has very firm views on the empanadas. In Mendoza, he says, they are notably good, usually baked rather than fried, and the fillings shift in subtle ways from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. Dante has eaten empanadas across the continent and still puts the Mendoza version at the top of his list. He knows this is a bold claim and seems quite happy to defend it.
Cartagena's less photographed side, Colombia
Dante was quick to point out that Cartagena's famous walled centre is not really where the best eating begins. It is beautiful, certainly, but much of the food there now answers to visitor expectations. He says the more interesting story begins in Getsemani and in the local markets beyond it, where the city's Caribbean food culture feels more honest, more specific and less dressed up for visitors.
What stayed with him there were the fish dishes, the coconut, the plantain and the rice and stew combinations that rarely make it onto tourist menus. Dante spent a week eating in and around Getsemani and says he spent very little money while eating extraordinarily well. He still talks about the ceviche there, which he found lighter and sharper than the Peruvian versions people usually compare everything to.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Montevideo, Dante says, suffers mainly from being too close to Buenos Aires in people's imaginations. Travellers skip it because the larger city is more famous, and he thinks that is a mistake. Uruguay has its own food culture and Montevideo is the best place to understand it. He talks about the chivito with near missionary enthusiasm and says it deserves a place among the great sandwiches of the world.
He also recommends the Mercado del Puerto without hesitation. It has been feeding people in the old port area for generations and remains one of the best places to eat meat on a continent already very serious about meat. Dante also noticed that Montevideo does dulce de leche exceptionally well. On his last trip he brought six jars home from small shops around Ciudad Vieja and considered that a fairly restrained decision.
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca is the city Dante speaks about with the most frustration, because he thinks it is badly overlooked as a food destination. It is a beautiful highland city and the local cuisine is direct, generous and deeply tied to the region. Corn, potatoes and slow-cooked meats appear everywhere, and Dante says the pleasure of eating there comes from how unfussy and grounded it all feels.
He recommends trying cuy at least once, but only in the right setting. Dante says context matters, and a local family lunch will tell you far more than a restaurant set up mainly for tourists. He was also very clear that the markets, especially on Thursday and Saturday, are among the best places to eat in the city and cost next to nothing.
When we finished talking, Dante came back to the same point he had made at the beginning. South America will feed you very well if you are willing to eat where it feeds itself. The famous cities are famous for a reason, he says, but the overlooked ones are often where the continent cooks for pleasure rather than performance. That is usually where he wants to be.
The Best in Travels,
Your Friend Fushia