When you visit or relocate, whether to another region or another country, it is always exciting to discover foods that are common to the area. In Boston you would be sure to try clam chowder, Philadelphia a cheesesteak, in North Carolina the barbecue, and in New York pizza is a must. Since moving to Uruguay we were pleased to discover medialunas (croissants), the use of dulce de leche (carmel) in most desserts and the chivito sandwich. Oh, the mighty, mighty chivito.
~Brief pause while my mouth waters~
The literal term for chivito is baby goat; however in Uruguay the chivito is much more. A culinary adventure, if you will. You start by taking a bun the size of a Volkswagon and build upon it, well, a sandwich within a sandwich. First, thin slices of beef are grilled, then stacked with ham, lettuce, tomato, hard boiled egg, bacon, olives, grilled peppers & onions and cheese. There is even a variety of flavored mayonnaise to choose from which is liberally slathered onto said sandwich. You have the option of omitting some of the toppings, but really, why would you want to?
Anthony Bourdain featured Chiviteria Marcos on his show No Reservations. It was here that Anthony declared the chivito “the greatest sandwich ever in the history of recorded Sandwich Dom”. Anthony, my friend, I would have to agree. Because Lindsey is such a great cook we eat most of our meals at home, but when we have visitors from the states it’s fun to show them the clip of the show and enjoy lunch at Chiviteria Marcos. It’s a good time; however consuming a chivito in its entirety with a side of French fries could potentially keep our guests full for 2 days thus inhibiting them from enjoying the many other fabulous foods Uruguay has to offer.
The next time you find yourself in Uruguay be sure to take time to have your very own, custom built, mouth-watering chivito. It will be one meal you won’t forget.
