Cuisine of Montevideo facts for kids
.jpg)
The Cuisine of Montevideo is all about the yummy food cooked and served in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay. The food here is much like what you'd find across the rest of Uruguay. Beef is a super important part of the diet. Another popular food is the torta frita, which is a tasty pan-fried cake.
In recent years, Montevideo has seen many more restaurants open up. The types of food you can find have also grown a lot. The city's food scene is becoming very exciting. You can find everything from traditional Uruguayan cuisine to Japanese cuisine and even Middle Eastern cuisine.
Contents
Delicious Foods in Montevideo
A torta frita is a popular pan-fried cake eaten in Montevideo and all over Uruguay. It's usually round and has a small cut in the middle. This helps it cook evenly. It's made from wheat flour, yeast, water, and either sugar or salt.
Beef is a huge part of Uruguayan cooking. It's used in many different dishes. Many restaurants serve beef steaks, pork, or chicken. Since Montevideo is a city by the sea, it has lots of fresh fish. Some restaurants, like Che Montevideo in the Pocitos area, specialize in seafood.
Mercado del Puerto: A Foodie Hotspot
The Mercado del Puerto (which means "Port Market") is a famous place for traditional Uruguayan food and drinks in Montevideo. This market has many different restaurants and cafes. For example, La Palenque restaurant serves Uruguayan and Spanish cuisine. They offer lamb, pork, and cold meats with vegetables. You can also find paella, rice, and shellfish there. On Saturdays, the market often hosts fun cultural events.
The Mercado del Puerto is best known for its parillas, which are barbecues. The market building itself is open-aired and was built way back in 1868. It used to be a place to buy fresh produce. Now, it's filled with parillas where you can enjoy grilled meats. The building looks like an old British railway station from the 1800s. Frommer's, a travel guide, even calls it one of "The Best Markets" in South America.
Restaurants to Explore
Montevideo has a wide variety of restaurants. You can find traditional Uruguayan cuisine or try Japanese cuisine like sushi. Popular fast-food places like McDonald's and Burger King are also in the city.
The Restaurante Arcadia is on the 25th floor of the Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel. Many people think it's Montevideo's best restaurant. El Fogon is a favorite for people who like to eat late at night. Its inside is bright, and the walls have big mirrors. It's known for barbecue and seafood. They serve grilled meat dishes, as well as salmon, shrimp, and calamari.
Kokoro is a Japanese restaurant located on Viejo Pancho in the Pocitos neighborhood. It serves traditional Japanese food. They often use meat and fish to suit Uruguayan tastes.
Panini's is a great Italian restaurant in the Ciudad Vieja, which is the historical part of the city. It's right near the Plaza Independencia. It's famous for its "degustación de pastas," which is like a big tasting of many different pasta dishes.
Other notable places include Rara Avis in the Solís Theatre. There's also La Pasiva, a Uruguayan chain of restaurants in the Centro area. They serve pasta and meat dishes. Don't forget the restaurants in the Mercado del Puerto and the Mercado de la Abundancia for more food options.
Market Food and Drinks
Many cool places to eat are found inside community markets. Customers at these markets can sit at counters. They can order sausages, other meats, and Asado (barbecue) that are grilled right in front of them. Meats, especially cheaper cuts of beef and pork like sausages, are a big part of the daily diet in Montevideo.
These meats are served with simple side dishes. These might include crusty bread, tapenades (olive spreads), fried potatoes, and tapas (small dishes). During lunch, soft drinks like colas are widely available. Besides food, markets in Montevideo also sell fresh produce, mate (a traditional tea), coffee, kitchenware, and other basic goods.
World Record Barbecue
Montevideo once held a world record for the biggest barbecue! On April 13, 2008, 12,500 cooks in Montevideo worked together. They grilled about 12 tons (26,455 pounds) of beef. This set a new Guinness world record. The event needed a grill almost 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) long. It also used 6 tons of charcoal. This barbecue beat the old record of 8 tons, which was set by Mexico in 2006. Montevideo's record lasted until March 2011. Then, about 13.7 tons (30,231 pounds) of beef were grilled in General Pico in Argentina, setting a new record.
