Study 2: El alfajor

A short history and User's Guide:

(Disclaimer: this post was started (in English) a few months ago.)


In Spain, where the alfajor originated, it is traditionally made with almonds, figs and honey.  It's arrival on the Peninsula is attributed to Musa ibn Nusair in 712 A.D.  Therefor, it is not surprising that the word "alfajor is derived from the Arabic language (rather than Latin) and translates roughly to "luxury".  On the Peninsula the predecessor to the American alfajor is "alajú".  In Argentina (and Uruguay) the alfajor as we know it became popular in the mid-19th century thanks to the arrival of a large wave of Spanish immigrants.  Following it's trans-Atlantic migration, el alfajor underwent a massive transformation due to the absence of certain staple ingredients in the New World.  The mystique, however, remains.

If you've been to Buenos Aires, you won't be at all shocked to learn that Argentina is the leading consumer (worldwide) of alfajores.  So, while I'm here, I intend to do my part to help maintain that distinctive title.  As such, I have amassed a small sampling (over a period of the last two months) for purely statistical and academic purposes.

Before we start, however, let's discuss the basics:
Anatomy: Between 2-3 cookies or biscuits sandwiching a filling of dulce de leche.  This "sandwich" is typically covered with chocolate, but white chocolate as well as meringue are popular combinations as well.  Fillings range from dulce de leche to chocolate, mousse or in some cases flavored fillings like coffee creme or even lemon.
"Un simple": 2 cookies sandwiching 1 layer of dulce de leche
"Un triple": 3 cookies sandwiching 2 layers of dulce de leche




Brand: Chocoarroz
Style: Simple
Flavor: Dulce de leche
Nutritional Info: Gluten free; 119 calories; 5.9g fat (2.9g saturated fats); main ingredient is brown rice.

Packaging: 8
Appearance: 6
Texture: 5
Flavor: 4
"Fix" Satisfaction: 3

Overall Score: 5.2 / 10

Thoughts -
The "Chocoarroz" Deli Lite has a following in Buenos Aires, but if you've had one you've had one too many in my book.  As a general proponent of rice cakes I thought this little "alfajor" was going to be the answer to my dietary woes.  I was mistaken.  If you're in the mood for an alfajor "Chocoarroz" doesn't fit the bill.  The flavor, despite the double layer of "dulce de leche", is weak and barely masks the healthier yamani rice biscuit beneath.  The DDL is smooth, but dry and the chocolate (white with dulce de leche flavoring in this case) coating is paper thin. It get's a nod for a short(ish) list of ingredients, but if I'm going to do damage my waistline I intend on enjoying it.

Perks -
Multiple flavors including "Limón" and "Marroc".  Easy to find.  Price point: ARS $8 / US $1



Brand: Terrabussi
Style: Triple
Flavor: Dulce de luche with chocolate coating
Nutritional info: 269 calories; 9.3g fat (5.1 saturated fats; 0.4g trans fats)

Packaging: 6
Appearance: 7
Texture: 7
Flavor: 7
"Fix" Satisfaction: 7

Overall score: 6.8 / 10

Thoughts -
(Disclaimer: I prefer alfajores de maicena over all others).  In addition to alfajores, Terrabussi is the producer of a delightful line of tea biscuits and is one of the many branches of Kraft Foods here in South America.  What does this alfajor have going for it? Consistency.  The chocolate was in good condition despite the fact that the bottom cookie pulled away from it's layer of binding dulce de leche.  The overall flavor is good, but not spectacular.  The dulce de leche, however, was nice and smooth and although I would have liked it to be a little bit more generously filled, this is a classic.  No fireworks here, but when you're hungry at 5:30pm or 3:30am this alfajor is sure to provide the second (or third) wind that you are craving.  Nevertheless, despite the "more is more" feeling that oozes out of the wrapper I would say that a Havana's "simple" or a Cachafaz is your better bet and about half the calories for those of us who are counting (quietly to ourselves).

Perks -
Filling.  Easy to find.  Price point: ARS $7 / US $0.93*

*blue market exchange rate has dropped to $7.50)





Brand: Havana
Style: Simple
Flavor: Dulce de leche with chocolate coating
Nutritional info: 206 calories; 7g fat (3.9g saturated fat)

Packaging: 6
Appearance: 8
Texture: 9
Flavor: 8
"Fix" satisfaction: 9

Overall score: 8.0/10

Thoughts -
Havana is generally considered the "king" of alfajores here in Argentina, but for purely political reasons (I'm a Chachafazista*) I've remained a skeptic.  Over the past two years, I have had my fair share of brands, but something about the popularity of Havana's "me cayó mal" / "didn't sit well with me".  Until now.  Havana's are produced in Mar de Plata, a beach side city a few hours from Buenos Aires, and sold in kiosko's as well as official "Havana" cafes and pop-up kiosks from downtown to Ezeiza.  They offer a nice line of products including a new novelty: bags of miniature alfajores that would go splendidly in my (hypothetical) lunchbox.  When tourists visit Buenos Aires, very often, their only run-in with an alfajor is at Havana's and so the reputation has grown, not unmerited, by word of mouth and by trails of cookie crumbs left the world over.  A post about alfajores would not be complete, however, without mentioning Havana's so I swallowed my Cachafazian pride* and picked up the classic: dulce de leche with chocolate coating on my way home from classes.  Upon opening the Willy Wonka style golden wrapper (a thrill in itself) I was shocked to find the chocolate shiny and in great condition.  Quick work with my pilfered butter knife revealed a dense, generous filling of dulce de leche which was incredibly smooth.  The ratio of cookie to dulce de leche was about 1/3 which is saying something.  The flavor was subtle and not overly sweet. Conveniently, Havana's are sold in boxes of 8 or 10, but per my personal experience you're better off buying a few individually wrapped alfajores and nestling them in your clean socks to get them home in one piece. Something in the quality is lost in the "tourist-friendly" pre-packaged boxes, I think.  At about $1 an alfajor, this "less economical" option is still pretty affordable.

Perks: Multiple flavors including coffee, chocolate and meringue.  Generous filling.  Price point: ARS $8.50 / US $1.06

*Cachafaz is another popular mid-range brand of alfajores that offers a number of similar products.




Conclusions: 
Further investigation is required.



As of August 13th I will gladly take orders for delivery.

Con la panza llena / "with a full tummy",

Sarita 

Miercoles: Un día de fotos

Fotos cotidianas de Buenos Aires: 

Hola Queridos,

Tuve la idea de hacer unos "posts" bárbaros (muy buenos) pero lamentablement me toca trabajar mucho esta semana y la próxima... y la próxima así que decidí darles una vista breve de la Buenos Aires que veo día tras día.

¿Quizás les perezco vaga?  

Es cierto pero solamente porque "estamos a full" (going strong) en las clases y debo "ponerme las pilas" (make the extra effort) para llegar al final de semestre.  El viernes tenemos dos excursiones interesantísimas así que sugiero que estén atentos a la bitácora para que ustedes no pierdan la oportunidad de ver la ciudad y su historia desde dos perspectivas nuevas.

Les dejo por ahora pero espero que disfruten de pasear un poco por la ciudad...

La Avenida de Mayo desde la Plaza de Mayo.  Si el Obelisco es el centro de la ciudad La Plaza de Mayo es, indudablemente, el corazón.  La Avenida de Mayo se construyó para imitar las avenidas famosas de Paris y por eso la Avenida de Mayo tiene un estilo muy europeo.

 La Avenida Rivadavia es la avenida más larga del mundo y corre por toda la ciudad.  Rivadavia se dividia Buenos Aires (entre el norte y el sur) y cambia los nombres de las calles.  (Por ejemplo: la misma calle se llama "Cerrito" por un lado de Rivadavia y "Lima" por el otro).  ¡No se confudan!

 Para los que leyeron el blog el año pasado ya conocen "El Ateneo".  Era un teatro antiguo pero ahora funciona como una librería en Recoleta (Santa Fe / Callao).  La selección de libros es muy amplia, sin embargo los precios son altos.  De todos modos, vale la pena entrar y tomar un cafecito en el café precioso o, si sos un estudiante que "no tiene ni un mango" (sin dinero) quedáte tranquilo en uno de los sillones cómodos en un balcón con tu libro preferido - gratis.

Otra perspectiva de la Avenida de Mayo.  Yo saqué esta foto justo enfrente de una parada de Subte A (el metro).  La avenida corre entre la Plaza de Mayo donde se queda la Casa Rosada y el Congreso de la Nacion (Avenida de Mayo / Callao).  La avenida no es solamente un símbolo del belle epoc de la ciudad pero el lugar más tradicional para demonstraciones (ie. protestas). 

 El mercado de San Telmo es un verdadero paraíso para los que les gustan las verduras (los vegetales).  Hay de todo tipo de mercadería incluso mermeladas, semillas y especias, frutas secas y carne y los precios son buenos.  El mejor día para pasar por el mercado es el sábado temprano (se abre el mercado a las 9 de la mañana) para comprar los mejores cortes de carne.

Al otro extremo de la ciudad (Barrio Norte) pueden conocer el Cementeria de la Recoleta lo cual es uno de los más famosos del mundo.  Ya entré dos veces pero ustedes deben esperar unos días más para conocerlo... 

Hasta pronto, 

Sarita 

Excursión: La Boca del Riachuelo

Ahora sí:

Chicos,
¡Bienvenidos al blog! "La Boca" es un barrio en Buenos Aires.  Si no se dieron cuenta ya ustedes han avanzado al nivel 2.5  ¡Les felicito!  Desde ahora vamos a explorar la ciudad de Buenos Aires juntos y hablar (todo el tiempo) en español.  ¿Les parece bien?  Por las dudas voy a pegar el link a "Google Translate" abajo para los que necesiten traducción.  Más allá que eso les pido perdón porque de vez en cuando la traducción no es buena.  Yo intentaré a escribir en una manera clara y interesante pero a veces será necesario usar unos dichos argentinos (sayings) para que no perdamos el sabor de Buenos Aires mientras estamos en el camino.


De todos modos, La Boca es un lugar turístico pero sigue siendo una parte única de la ciudad.  Junto con los barrios de Monserrat y San Telmo, La Boca es la parte más antigua de Buenos Aires y contribuyó en el desarrollo de la ciudad y el tango en particular.  Para las que ya conocen La Boca saben que, en pocas palabras, es el barrio del equipo famoso de fútbol "Boca Juniors" y la calle "Caminito" pero antes era el puerto de la ciudad y un barrio de inmigrantes tantos italianos como españoles.  Los restos del barrio antiguo, y de la ciudad en general, son preservados en los conventillos (tenement houses) dónde vivían familias enteras bajo condiciones espantosas.  Hoy en día, aunque sea un lugar de mucho turismo afuera de esta zona La Boca sigue siendo un lugar inseguro especialmente por la noche.  Vale la pena dar un paseo por el barrio pero con cuidado porque dónde hay turistas siempre hay pungistas (ladrones) y un cierto nivel de lío (embrollo).

Google Translator

"El Caminito" La calle más conocida de La Boca.  Los conventillos fueron construidos por los inmigrantes de los primeros años  del siglo 19 y todavía son el símbolo de La Boca.

Escuchá: [ "Caminato" / cantado por Gardel ]

 El orgullo del barrio es tan fuerte como los colores de los bares y los cafes.

Espero que tengan en cuenta la otra cara de la moneda cuando piensen en "La Boca": 

 "La Boca" hoy en día.

Field Trip: San Telmo + El Museo de La Ciudad

San Telmo Adventure I:

 No trip to Buenos Aires is complete without a walk around San Telmo and since you've asked for it, I present to you now [insert fanfare] your very own tour of San Telmo.  Most tourists visit on Sundays when the "feria" / "crafts fair" fills C/ Defensa where there is something for everyone: scarves, magnets, mates, t-shirts and cds and, of course, street food.  Most vendors sell their wares (arepas, burritos, tacos, coffee, churros) from baskets and Styrofoam coolers carried on top of their heads or in converted grocery trolleys, but traditional style food carts (like this one) are still in use.  Here in the city, homemade confections are sold on every busy street corner and at most bus stops by small time vendors if you get up early enough.  (Even in the suburbs, on the corner of Cabildo and Federico La Croze, a woman sells chipá (a bread made from yuca flour, a hard cheese, eggs and salt) during the morning rush hour. No doubt this cart sold hot coffee or tea.  It's design, however antiquated, is still a classic in Buenos Aires and if you listen hard enough you can hear the rumble of tires like these the city over.

But, if you're not feeling very lucky, you won't want for a place to sit down and in eat in San Telmo, either.  While there are a number of great places (including Guena Yunta / Chile 369, and Sagardi / Humberto 1 319), last Sunday we went to one of the classics: El Desnivel / Defensa 855.  It's a popular place for asados, but is probably equally famous for the empanadas which are fried rather than baked.  We dropped in about 3:00pm and despite the ample dinning room (El Desnivel has at least three dining areas including an open air patio) the restaurant was filled.  (For those of you visiting, just remember that you have to order your "papas fritas" / "french fries"   "aparte" / "separately".  Being the sort of woman that I am, I ordered una ensalada mixta (a typical salad with lettuce, tomato, onion and in this case boiled egg) and una empanada de jamón y queso (a savory pastry filled with ham and cheese).

Being a typical, down to earth sort of place, there are only  three varieties of empanadas: beef, ham and cheese or chicken with vegetables).  And since El Desnivel is synonymous to a good empanada and a glass of wine the waiter brings them to you dangerously hot on a silver serving tray.  Traditionally, empanadas are folded according to their filling so pinched corners, dainty folds and circular shapes all mean something in the seductive language of Argentine empanadas.  It's as much a test as it is a pleasure to bite into a crispy, steaming empanada de carne (savory dough filled with ground beef and sometimes diced hard boiled egg or olives).  But, before we enter further into this delicious world of hand pies, let's get back to the feria before it gets dark.

San Telmo is the oldest barrio in the city and has been, shockingly, well preserved.  This can probably be attributed to the numerous tourist attractions and colonial ambiance that resonates around Calle Defensa (the main thoroughfare).  The cobble stone streets are about as picturesque as you can find here in Buenos Aires and the hundreds of shop fronts dripping with antique dinner sets; crystal chandeliers; and mahogany boudoirs scream to have noses pressed against them.  On weekends, small time antique vendors fill passageways and breezeways as well as open air booths with tea cups and coins and costume jewelry.  For the "Anitque's Road Show" addict, San Telmo is a dream come true.

The feria ends in Plaza Dorrego which appears 

suddenly a few blocks before Avenida San Juan.  The plaza is a popular stopping point with quite a few fancy (over priced) restaurants with quaint balconies that overlook the plaza.  There is even a Starbuck's on the corner; although, I only recommend going in to use the restrooms which are clean and comfortable.  (Make a right on Humberto 1 as you're leaving the restroom and make a b-line for Sagardi's if you want reasonably price and delicious tapas).  Most of the craft vendors stay open until it gets dark, but Sunday evenings they disappear so that a few swatches of plastic can be haphazardly (emphasis on haphazardly) taped down in the center of the Plaza for "La Milonga del Indio".  A single strand of colored Christmas lights is hung up and in no time at all you'll find the Plaza full of young adults with dread locks and their fare share of illegal substances.  Wayward tourists fill in the gaps, providing a spellbound audience for the older tangueros (and handful of new young bloods) that dare risk their knees on the impromptu dance floor.  A few years ago "La Milonga del Indio" was a popular Sunday milonga, but despite efforts to bring it back into its former glory, I would not suggest making an appearance.  

While it is easy for passers by to be taken in by tango street performances in San Telmo, there are a number of more interesting diversions.  For example, Jack Sparrow having tea with this big top escapee who is probably his first and only true love.  Jack, being a man of the world, can be spotted around the city - not just in San Telmo.  I've seen him at various ferias as well as once or twice on the subway.  Photos of the performers are usually free, but donations are more than welcome.  If you've got your eyes open you can catch a "Carlos Gardel" look-alike as well as "living statues" and some old-school puppeteers.  

But, if you prefer to get off the street and loosen the iron grip you have on your wallet, step into the Museo de La Ciudad / City Museum.  The museum offers a number of small exhibits on the city and it's history.  When I went there was a photography exhibit on the Feria de San Telmo as well as a small exhibit on antique toys.  The museum is small, but interesting and the staff very friend (as well as English speaking).  The exhibits are broken up between two or three buildings which are accessed from the street.  I entered through the Bar de Filete and then had to go outside and two doors down to enter the restored living quarters that house the previously mentioned exhibits.  La Farmacia de La Estrella (one of the oldest in the city) also forms part of the museum, but is again accessed from the street and since it still functions as a working pharmacy, the museum is less than friendly to visit.  Logistics aside, the entry fee is small and free on Mondays.  

And although it requires a little extra effort to navigate, you're bound to find a few hidden treasures if you look hard enough...

... like Sheila.

(Notice: Future posts will be written in Spanish since my language pledge begins on Wednesday so put your thinking caps on!)

Vocabulario útil:

"pasear": (v). go for a walk; take a stroll

"antiquidades": (n). antiques 

"la entrada": (n). the entrance / ticket 

"el boleto": (n). ticket

"una copa de vino": (n). a glass of wine 

"A cuánto está ______": another way of saying, "how much is..." 

Ex. "A cuánto está la cuchara" / "how much does the spoon cost"