Although every Argentine wolfed down 59.4 kilos of beef in 2014 according to the CICCRA meat chamber (that’s 163 grams a day), beef consumption is actually in decline in Argentina.

Surprised? Me too, given the number of parrillas lining the streets of, well, anywhere, and asado invitations I get each week.

And if you’re lucky enough to have a patio-side parrilla or share one in your building, you’ll know what the queues at butchers are like at the weekend.

That said, consumption could be on the path to recovery, given that the Belgrano Cargas train is now linking La Matanza (translation: slaughter) neighbourhood with Central Market, facilitating meat transportation. We shall wait and see…

Here, we meet an array of meat purveyors, almost all of whom say that asado de tira (short ribs) is their best-selling product.

The boutique butcher
Thanks to his background in gastronomy, Ariel Argomaniz knew how to prepare cold cuts and sausages, but learning how to dissect whole beef was a whole new ball game when he and business partner Mariano Cafarelli opened Amics two years ago.

For the rest of this please visit The Real Argentina.
Ph: Eugenio Mazzingui