All you have to know about food in Uruguay – Update 2023
According to the name of our blog, FunFOODtravelling, we would like to introduce you to this rubric “Food around the World” where we write about food we have found in the various countries around the World.
This time we are going to tell you a little bit about the typical food in Uruguay.
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The fact of eating besides being very important for life also unites people and makes you knowledgeable about different customs and habits which you can find around the world.
During our world trip, we visit many different countries and most likely the first thing we do is to visit the local food market.
Local food markets offer the unique opportunity to feel the true essence of the town, get to know the customs and their local products.
In addition to that, there is another very important factor, in general, they are the best places to try local food at affordable prices.
We strongly encourage you to visit local food markets instead of going to tourist restaurants and eat something unusual you wouldn’t eat at home.
Travelling offers a great opportunity to know gastronomic cultures, different and unusual products and also the local people and their customs.
As we are foodies, we will try to introduce you to different cuisines around the world and we hope that with a little curiosity you will have a chance to try something spectacular.
So get ready, here is our first introduction to the food in Uruguay where we will share traditional dishes and food you should definitely try when you get there.
Our tip: When we travel we always make sure to have travel insurance. Our personal recommendation is Truetraveller as they have great support and health coverage around the world. And don’t worry if you forget about it, you can purchase the insurance during your trip!
Asado
When we are talking about Uruguay and we ask you to think of the first ingredient that crossed your mind, we are sure that it would be meat, and particularly beef.
By the way, as a gastronomic lover, you probably know that meat in Uruguay is really amazing and it is the most consumed food in this country.
We can assure you that if you are ever going to be in Uruguay during the weekend, it will seem that the whole country smells of meat.
For Uruguayan people barbecue is very important, it is a special time with family or friends while you are eating, drinking and enjoying.
One day we read in a travel magazine which stated that cows in Uruguay came to the country thanks to the Spanish colonizers as before that there were no cows at all.
If it is true, we would have to thank both countries. We thought about it because the Uruguayans managed to create great meat which is now exported all over the world.
Although an animal such as a cow is the queen of any barbecue, we can assure you that there will always be another type of meat on a grill, such as pork or chicken. So prepare yourself mentally (and physically) because, among chinchulines, vacío, matambres, blood sausages and other parts, we are more than sure that you will not be left hungry.
Now at this point, you are probably wondering:
Isn’t Argentina famous for its barbecues and meat?
Argentina like Uruguay is also world-famous for its meat and delicious barbecues and they are also one of the most meat consuming nations.
Then …
Where do you eat the best barbecue? Argentina or Uruguay?
Based on our personal experience, when we tried the typical barbecue in both countries, we can conclude that they deserve a draw since it would be unfair to announce a winner. Both countries have many similarities and above all a great quality of beef.
Chivito – food in Uruguay
Another dish that you will find in any part of Uruguay will be the chivito.
In fact, we think it is the most consumed street food in Uruguay.
In its classic version, It is a sandwich with beef tenderloin, lettuce, tomato, egg and mayonnaise. During our trip to Uruguay, we have seen many different varieties of chivito from fried fish on the coast to vegetarian style for millennials.
In our opinion, the best chivito in Uruguay is with classic veal. If you want to eat a delicious chivito, we totally recommend you to ask a local person, they will surely indicate the most appropriate place.
Choripan o chorizo al pan– food in Uruguay
Another classic street food in Uruguay is grilled chorizo with a super tender and light bread. It seems like a simple dish, however, in its simplicity it is exquisite and juicy.
Honestly, you cannot leave Uruguay without having tried at least one choripan during your trip.
Our Tip: Wise is a great card when you are travelling to a country with a different currency than yours. We use this online bank during our trips and we never had problems, even in remote places around the world.
You might already know that many Uruguayans are of Spanish descent, and that is also reflected in the food.
The first example that comes to our mind is the systematic use of bread in their meals, and another one is the presence of empanadas practically everywhere.
Empanadas– food in Uruguay
There are many different tastes and colours of empanadas, however, most of them are delicious. Thanks to their affordable prices they can be transformed into a perfect meal or snack.
We recommend empanadas if you travel on a tight budget or if you don’t want to always eat meat. You have read well vegan/vegetarian friends, we have written meatless empanadas.
During our backpacking trip in Uruguay we ate delicious vegetarian empanadas many times, so don’t worry, even if it is a country of meat you are not going to starve ahahah.
Milanesa– food in Uruguay
Another street dish which you will find everywhere in Uruguay will be the Milanesa on the plate or as a sandwich.
We really don’t know where this dish comes from but we imagine that it surely descends from the Italians and their “Cotolette alla Milanesa” from Lombardy.
If you want a delicious and affordable sandwich, you definitely have to try the Milanese sandwich, it’s just amazing.
NOTE: You might know that the same happened in Uruguay (like in Argentina) as many colonies of Italians arrived a long time ago to this country. So it will never be difficult to find pasta and pizza in Uruguayan restaurants since they themselves consider them local dishes.
Pasta and pizza– food in Uruguay
Advice to all Italians looking for “authentic” food outside of Italy!
It is almost impossible that you are going to find pasta and pizza equal to what your grandmother prepares for you in Italy. When Italian immigrants arrived in Uruguay many years ago, they didn’t have the resources and the same ingredients as you have in Italy.
Even so, they tried to recreate the same traditional Italian dishes, using ingredients that they found in Uruguay. This changed their customs and, as a final result, also the dishes.
If you are going to visit these countries, we can assure you that you will notice the difference.
For example, something that immediately comes to mind is pizza. The pizza base in Uruguay as in Argentina is very fat and with a lot of dough. Italian does not consider it a pizza but more like a focaccia.
By the way, we want to clarify one thing, although it is not like the classic Neapolitan pizza, it does not mean that it is not delicious.
Are you sick of so much meat?
No problem friends, don’t forget that Uruguay has some of the best beaches and coasts in the entire area with amazing fish and seafood.
Fish and Seafood – food in Uruguay
In general, the water in Uruguay is quite cold, and that is why it is the perfect place for fishing pescadilla (a type of hake) and cazón (a type of small shark).
We can assure you that on the coast you are going to find many restaurants which prepare dishes with these types of fishes.
Another ingredient that you can find on the Uruguayan coast is bivalvos (mussels etc) generally called shells. It will not be difficult to find delicious preparations of these bivalvos in any restaurants.
Also, one thing that has intrigued us is that in some menus you will find dishes based on seaweed. With the seaweed, they prepare delicious croquettes, which you absolutely have to try during your trip to Uruguay.
If you like shrimps (small prawns) we will reveal a secret to you. When we travelled along the coast, before reaching Cabo Polonio, we ended up in a small fishing village called La Barra de Valiza.
This little town is famous for having an abundance of shrimps in its waters. This is because there is a river running between the dunes and the town which flows directly into the sea. Over time a wide strait was created, and it is precisely there that an incredible habitat has been created for the life and reproduction of shrimps.
Yerba mate – food in Uruguay
Although it is not food, we have to mention yerba mate in Uruguay. It could be considered a national heritage of Uruguay. It is practically impossible to not see aa people walking the streets with their thermos full of yerba mate.
Yerba mate has high digestive power. Yerba mate in Uruguay has a presence everywhere and above all you will notice that it is shared.
If an Uruguayan person offers you a mate, don’t refuse it as surely he wants to make friends.
People in Argentina also have the same custom but we can assure you that we definitely saw more Uruguayans than Argentinean people drinking Mate on the streets.
Typical desserts in Uruguay – food in Uruguay
Due to the massive presence of cows in Uruguay, you can find here great dairy products. One of the very famous ingredients that stand out in Uruguay is the Dulce de leche.
Dulce de leche – food in Uruguay
Garrapiñados (caramelized nuts)
It is very common in Uruguay to see street vendors preparing caramelized nuts. They are a perfect snack when you need a dose of sugar at a good price.Tortas fritas (fried cakes)
Another product at a good price, which comes from popular tradition, is fried cakes. It is a crunchy dough that is stretched in a circular shape and fried at the moment. Sugar is usually added on top, sometimes also salt, depending on your taste.
If you want to help keep the world as clean as possible on your travels, you should use reusable bottles to try to reduce the use of plastic in the world.
Check out the various options we offer in our travel shop.
Bizarre food in Uruguay – food in Uruguay
In every country we travel to, we usually collect information about extravagant dishes and sometimes we have the possibility of trying some bizarre food or delicacy that you can’t see in many restaurants.
For example, in Uruguay near the city of Salta, you can find Capybara. This animal is the largest rodent of its species and is also present in Argentina and Brazil. Its meat resembles pork and it is usually cooked for many hours, otherwise, it would not be very good.
Unfortunately due to the short period of time, we spent in this area, were not able to taste it. Maybe next time.
Another animal that is eaten in Uruguay is the lizard. If you travel from Europe you will be thinking of those little animals, however here lizards are huge and you can find them almost anywhere.
Final Note
If you are planning to visit Uruguay and you have a tight budget, we recommend visiting this country just before the summer season (end of November and beginning of December).
To know more about Uruguay and things you should know before going on holidays to this country, we recommend you our post where we share our tips and tricks.
Without a doubt, we can tell you that prices for food, in general, are much higher than in all neighbouring countries.
Uruguay is not exactly a country for travellers with a low budget, and although it is true that the meat is very good, it is much more expensive than other countries in South America.
Our trip to Uruguay was exactly at the beginning of December and in the coastal towns, there was hardly anyone. You can read all about our trip and Backpacking in Uruguay on a low budget.
We did and tried practically everything although we have noticed that the prices were incredibly high, sometimes more than in some European countries.
Another particular thing that we have noticed is that there was a lack of varieties of fruit and vegetables and if we found some fruit/veggie it was super expensive.
We really don’t know until now what was the reason for it.
We had two ideas. The first one was that since they use a large part of their lands to raise cows, they do not produce vegetables. The second idea was that we came in low season and the supply was lower.
Well, vegetables or no vegetables we come to the epilogue of our post. We hope it was interesting and that you got an idea of what kind of food you can eat in Uruguay.
We are going to have more food tours around the world, so stay tuned, we are going to be back soon!
In our journey through this beautiful land we have had the opportunity to visit a very peculiar place, Cabo Polonio.
It is a rustic and mythical spa town, there is no wifi, electricity and not even a telephone line.
All cottages and lodges use solar panels or windmills to produce their own energy and are self-sustaining.
Let’s say that visiting Cabo Polonio is going to be a unique experience for you, a total detoxification of the hectic life that this world offers us and the possibility of being disconnected from the virtual social world for a few days.
Another very interesting place is the city of Montevideo.
The capital of the country is probably the quietest city in all of South America that we have visited.
A city with a lot of charm and with a lot of activities that you can enjoy.
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