Asado Aside Trivia Quiz

Answer: Condiment

In Argentina and Uruguay, this term describes an uncooked parsley-based vinaigrette sauce which is used both to baste the barbecuing meat and as a condiment to be added at the table. The vinaigrette that is mixed through the parsley generally is made from olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice.

Other ingredients are at the chef's discretion, but often include garlic, black pepper, salt and oregano.

Answer: Condiment

This side dish has its origins in Peruvian cuisine, but it is popular in Uruguay, too. The base is finely sliced onion, with a dressing of oil and vinegar or lime juice. Diced red pepper and tomatoes add some red colour to the dish, and chopped herbs such as parsley or coriander provide a touch of green. Chili peppers, garlic, salt and pepper can be added to taste.

Answer: Condiment

Salsa golf is a thick pink sauce that resembles what I grew up calling cocktail sauce, without which the shrimp cocktail of the 1960s was not complete. It is said to have been invented in a golf club in the Argentine city of Mar del Plata, by a client who was bored by just having plain mayonnaise into which to dip his shrimp. He had the waiter bring him a tray of ingredients, and eventually settled on mayo and ketchup as the basic sauce. That was in the 1920s, and the major change since then has been playing around with the addition of spices (such as pimento, garlic, cumin, pepper) to produce an individualised flavour.

As well as being served with your meat, you may find salsa golf used as a salad dressing, especially in the popular heart of palm salad.

Answer: Beverage

Caņa is the local rum, made from sugarcane (hence the name). Before aging it is a clear spirit called aguardiente; after aging in barrels it develops an amber colour, and is called caņa. While caņa can be used to make mixed drinks, it is more commonly drunk straight.

Answer: Beverage

Grappamiel is a liqueur which is essentially a mixture of grappa and honey. Italian immigrants brought with them the tradition of making grappa, a brandy-like liquor, by distilling the residue left from pressing grapes to make wine. This pomace is fermented, then distilled to produce grappa. Uruguayans often consume grappa after a meal, but the local variant of grappamiel is even more poplar, especially in rural areas.

The grappamiel may be drunk straight, or mixed with a bit of hot water to produce a throat-soothing drink in the winter.

Answer: Beverage

Mate is the national drink of Uruguay, along with Argentina and Paraguay (where it was first brewed by the Guarani people living there). It is made by brewing the dried leaves and stems of the yerba mate plant. But it is not as simple as that - there is a whole ritual traditionally involved, that requires preparation in the right type of gourd, and sipping it through a special straw. The straw, known as a bombilla, acts as a sieve to keep the solid matter out of the drinker's mouth.

The sharing of a mate is a common social practice; one person (the cebador) prepares the drink and drains the mate (the name for the container in which it is prepared, as well as for the drink), then the container is refilled by the cebador and passed to the next person, who again drains it using the same straw. Since the mate is mostly full of herbal matter, there is not much water, so this is a reasonable amount to imbibe! the process continues until everyone has had a drink, or until the drink is declared to have become too weak, necessitating a new start.

Answer: Sweet treat

The alfajor has its origins in a Spanish confection made of flour, honey, nuts and seasonings. In Uruguay and Argentina, alfajores evolved into a confection made by putting two round sweet spongy cookies together, with a sweet filling such as dulce de leche (milk caramel) holding them together.

They are then covered with powdered sugar (the most traditional coating), sugar icing, chocolate or grated coconut.

Answer: Sweet treat

While you are partaking of a social mate, you may well be offered these sweet flaky pastries. While the Spanish bizcocho is a sponge cake, that is called bizcochuelo in Uruguay. Bizcocho come in many shapes, some with special names - Croasanes is the local name for what may be more familiar by its French name, croissant.

They may be served as a plain (but delicious) pastry, or given a sweet filling such as chocolate, jam, dulce de leche or cream. Margaritas are croasanes that have their tips joined to make a hollow centre that is given a sweet filling and a dusting of sugar. Ojitos are filled with quince paste. Bizcochos can also have a sweet topping, such as caramel or sugar glaze.

Answer: Sweet treat

As the name tells you, these are fried cakes, made from a leavened dough. They are fried in thin circular shapes, with a characteristic hole in the centre, which helps keep them flat. The fat for frying is traditionally cow fat, but other oils can be used.

The finished torta can be simply dusted with sugar, or given a more lavish coating. Tradition says that there is nothing better on a rainy day than tortas fritas with your mate!

Answer: Sweet treat

Pastafrola is a sweet pie, usually with a shortcrust pastry and a jam filling. The pie usually has a lattice for its top crust. The jam filling is most often dulce de membrillo (quince paste), but other fruit jams can be used, as well as the dulce de leche option. A slice of pastafrola is a common accompaniment to mate, or it can be served as a dessert.