Argentinian Culture

  As all countries do, Argentina has its own customs and traditions. There were many transformations along history, taking into account the alterations that were produced by the growth of immigrants during the twentieth century. In this essay, I am going to explain some of the main elements of this interesting culture.

 Let´s begin with a popular dialect called lunfardo. Its origins lie in immigration, enriched with indigenous inputs. The original lunfardo has been immortalized in numerous tango lyrics. Today it is still used in common language. For example: afano-theft, apolillar-to sleep, bondi-bus, cana-police, chabón-guy, chamuyar-action of persuading a person of something by mixing truth with lies to achieve an objective, chanta-deceiful person, curro-cheat, etc.

  Secondly, gastronomic customs are very important. The asado (could be translated as barbecue) it is not only a culinary technique of grilling meat; it is also the social act of eating it. Furthermore, the dulce de leche (milk candy) is a typical product. It is achieved after a very slow cooking of sugar and milk. “Alfajores” (a typical candy) are made with dulce de leche. It is said that in 1829, the cooker of Juan Manuel Rosas (Mayor of Buenos Aires in 1829 and 1835), neglected some milk with sugar that she was preparing for the Gobernor on the stove; but when Rosas tasted the infusion that had become a sticky and brown substance, he liked it. Then, there is mate is a traditional drink. It consists of a container (the mate itself), bulb (metal tube or cane with drilling in its bottom) and yerba mate (plant from South America, previously dried and ground for its use). Its preparation consists of putting the weeds within the mate, then pouring hot water (70°C); this action is called “cebar”, and, lastly, the bulb is introduced and mate is ready to be sucked from it. What is characteristic in this tradition is that the mate is usually shared in a round of people, favoring integration, trust and friendship among them.

Dulce de Leche

Drinking Mate

Next, we would like to mention a few people who were relevant in Argentinian history.  Take Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), for example. He was a musician; his distinctive voice made him the representative of Argentinian tango. He recorded approximately 800 songs. Another was Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986), a brilliant and controversial Argentinian litterateur and writer. He wrote various tests, poems and stories. Diego Armando Maradona (1960) was a soccer player; to many the best soccer player of all times, also known as “God´s hand”. He played 91 games in the National Soccer Team, scoring 34 goals. Then there was the wife of Juan Domingo Perón, Evita Duarte (1919-1952), who was an actress and, later, a politician. She was the “standart-bearer” of the poor and promoted the female vote. Another politician, but also a doctor, was Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1928-1967), known for his Cuban revolutionary struggle together with Fidel Castro. Unlike him, Alberto Olmedo (1933-1988) was a comedian-actor of a spontaneous humor. He started in big hits on the Argentinian TV and also in 44 films.

Jorge Luis Borges

Alberto Olmedo

Ernesto "Che" Guevara 

Evita Perón

Maradona and Messi

  Up to now, we have learned a little about the culture of Argentina.  Of course, there is much more to talk about. Topics, such as typical dances (tango, chamamé, milonga) or activities (horseback riding, auctions, rodeos) will be addressed subsequently.

Antonella Biante