Parrillada is a meal of a variety of meats that are grilled or barbecued. This version uses four types, including skirt steak and bratwurst for a dinner big enough to serve a crowd. Here in Buenos Aires, grilled meat is a Big Deal; it shares the spotlight with national treasures like Messi, fútbol, and the pope. To put it simply, steak is life, and the parrilla, a holy temple of worship.
Argentina, a country of carnivores, has the second-largest per-capita beef consumption in the world (behind Uruguay), with the average person eating about 57 kilos of beef per year. But just because this is the land of carne doesn’t mean hungry diners can find the perfect steak at any old grill. From vocabulary and etiquette to where to eat, here's everything you need to know about the parrillas of Buenos Aires.
“Parrilla” means grill, and refers to the actual open-fire hearth and grates where meat is cooked. It also translates to “steakhouse,” or more fittingly, any establishment — from fine dining to street cart — that specializes in grilled meats. (The double l makes a “sh” or “j” sounds, so “parrilla” is pronounced “pa-ree-sha” or “pa-ree-ja.")