URUGUAYAN CUISINE

 Do you prefer food from our country or from other parts of the world?
 If you were living abroad, which food from our country would you miss most?

Reading:

Uruguayan cuisine combines traditions from several

European countries, especially from Spain, Italy, Portugal
and France. Other influences on the cuisine resulted from
immigration from countries such as Germany and
Switzerland.

Meat, particularly beef, is the mainstay of the diet. The most

typical dish is the asado or the parrillada (grilled meat). Pork
sausage is usually served as an appetizer. Barbecued lamb
is consumed in large quantities, particularly in rural areas.

As a result of Italian immigration in the late 1800s and early 1900s, pasta is a national food. Most
home cooking has a Spanish influence, soup for example.
A standard fast food is chivito, a steak sandwich. Another unique snack is fainá a chickpea flour
pancake.
People eat a lot of bread, mostly made of white flour, and many consume dairy products, including
cheese and dulce de leche. Other popular desserts are milk and egg pudding and rice pudding.

Mate is a kind of strong tea made by infusing leaves of Yerba Mate with hot water in a gourd (mate)
through a metal straw (bombilla). Coffee is drunk as espresso or with milk. Tea is usually drunk with
milk. Uruguayan dishes can be accompanied with a wide range of local wines, especially those made
from Tannat grapes.

Breakfast is a light meal. Traditionally, lunch and dinner are the main meals.

A) Read the text and answer the questions.

1. What European countries influenced Uruguayan cuisine?

2. What types of meats do we eat?
3. What is a common fast food and snack?
4. What hot drinks can we have?
5. What are the most important meals in Uruguay?
 Watch the video and write what Diego Forlán eats at home.

Breakfast: café latte – yogurt – cereal – toast

Lunch: meat – fish – chicken – pasta – rice – mashed potatoes – salad
Snack: fruit: banana – apple
Tea: cake – cupcakes – cookies – café latte – cereals
Dinner: sushi – pizza – fainá – tartas of ham and cheese, tuna,
pascualina – soup

 Look at the map and read the bubbles.

My name is Jimena and I always drink orange

juice for breakfast. I love it and it is very good for
your health.

Hi! I am Fabián and I always have rice with my

meals. Rice is a typical side dish in the part of
the country where I live.

Hello! I am María José and I love dairy products.

I cannot live without my yogurt, bread with butter
and grilled cheese sandwiches.

A) Complete the table.

Name Favourite food/drink Region

Jimena
Fabián
María José

B) Write about the food that other areas produce.

For example: Soriano produces cereals.

C) Write a Uruguayan recipe that uses one of these products.

Recipe: Fried cakes (tortas fritas)

It’s a Uruguayan recipe for rainy days.

Ingredients:

 3 1/2 cups of flour

 1 cup of fat
 1/2 teaspoon of salt
 3 tablespoons of warm water

Directions:

1. Mix the flour with the fat and the salt.

2. Add the water and form the dough.
3. Leave it aside for 30 minutes.
4. Knead the dough until soft and warm.
5. Make small balls and use the rolling pin to form big circles. Make a cut in the centre of them.
6. Fry them into hot fat.

My favourite restaurant

1. My favourite restaurant is called “Il Mondo della Pizza”. There are

many branches of this place in Uruguay.
2. It is very modern with lots of bright lights. From every table you can see
a big TV screen showing video clips or live football matches.
3. They serve all kinds of foods like pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips
and delicious cakes. You can also have chicken, meat and pasta. My
favourite drink is freshly squeezed orange juice.
4. We sometimes go there with my friends when there is an important football match. Then we can
have wonderful food and enjoy the match on the big screen.
5. I like it because it is fun and interesting and because I love going there with my friends. During
the week they have special offers. My favourite is “Take two, get one free”.

A) Read the text and match the paragraphs to the questions.

___ What is it like?

___ What is your favourite restaurant called?
___ What kind of food do they serve?
___ When did you go there?
___ Why do you like it?

B) Complete the table with information about your favourite restaurant.

1. Name of your favourite restaurant: ________________________________________________

2. Where it is: __________________________________________________________________
3. What it is like: ________________________________________________________________
4. Kind of food and drink it sells: ____________________________________________________
5. When it is open: ______________________________________________________________
6. Why you like it: _______________________________________________________________

C) Write a paragraph using the information in the table.