Uruguayan´s store

2010-03-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

An alfajor is a traditional confection that is found in some regions of Spain and in countries of Latin America including South America, Central America and Mexico. Its basic form consists of two round sweet biscuits joined together with dulce de leche or jam and covered with powdered sugar. In most alfajores there are two layers of cake, and a filling in between.

In South America alfajor is found most notably in Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Chile, Perú and the South of Brazil. Though the food has been popular in Argentina and Uruguay since the mid 19th century. (wikipedia)

Dulce de leche

2010-03-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Dulce de leche is the most common name for milk caramel in Spanish.

Made as both a thick jam and a caramel candy, it is prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a product that derives its taste from caramelised sugar. Its origin is widely debated, and it remains popular throughout Latin America, including in the Southern Cone, where it is known by this name in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile; in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia (where it is known as Manjar Blanco); in Mexico (where it is known as Cajeta); and in Brazil (where it is known by its Portuguese name Doce de Leite).

A French version, known as confiture de lait is very similar to the spreadable forms of dulce de leche. (Wikipedia)

Yerba

2010-03-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yerba maté or yerba-mate, Ilex paraguariensis, is a species of holly (family Aquifoliaceae) native to subtropical South America in northeastern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and southern Brazil. It was first scientifically classified by Swiss botanist Moses Bertoni, who settled in Paraguay in 1895.

The yerba mate plant is a shrub or small tree growing up to 15 meters tall. The leaves are evergreen, 7–11 cm long and 3–5.5 cm wide, with a serrated margin. The flowers are small, greenish-white, with four petals. The fruit is a red drupe 4–6 mm in diameter. (wikipedia)

Mate! Original from Uruguay

2010-03-27T17:39:00.001-07:00

Mate is a traditional South American infused drink. It is prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate in hot water. It is the national drink in Uruguay, and in Brazil, it is considered to be a tradition typical of the “Gauchos”, term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Region, Brazil. The drink contains caffeine.

Mate is served with a metal straw from a shared hollow calabash gourd. The straw is called a bombilla in Latin American Spanish. The straw is traditionally made of silver. Even if the water comes in a very modern thermos, the infusion is traditionally drunk from mates or cuias.

As with other brewed herbs, yerba mate leaves are dried, chopped, and ground into a powdery mixture called yerba. The bombilla acts as both a straw and a sieve. The submerged end is flared, with small holes or slots that allow the brewed liquid in, but block the chunky matter that makes up much of the mixture. A modern bombilla design uses a straight tube with holes, or spring sleeve to act as a sieve. (wikipedia)