The wise man does not deprecate life nor does he fear the cessation of life. The thought of life is no offense to him, nor is the cessation of life regarded as an evil. And even as men choose of food not merely and simply the larger portion, but the more pleasant, so the wise seek to enjoy the time which is most pleasant and not merely that which is longest." Epicurus: Letter to Menoeceus

The cuisine of Argentina is distinctive in South America because of its strong resemblance to Italian, Spanish, French and other European cuisines rather than the other Latin American cuisines. Indigenous gastronomies derived from groups such as the Quechua, Mapuche, and Guarani have also played a role.
 
Another determining factor in Argentine cuisine is that Argentina is one of the world's major food producers. It is a major producer of meat (especially beef), wheat, corn, milk, beans, and since the 1970s, soybeans. Given the country's vast production of beef, red meat is an especially common part of the Argentine diet (in many periods of Argentine history the annual consumption of beef has been above 100 kg per capita and during the 19th century, neared 180 kg per capita.)
 
Similarly, the enormous quantities of domestically-harvested wheat have made white bread (made with wheat flour) the most commonly found on the table, this is also the reason Argentine pizza uses more dough than Italian pizza.
 
Besides the regional differences, there are at least two other comparisons which are important to understand Argentine cuisine: the first distinguishes a cuisine that is essentially urban and cosmopolitan (highly influenced by the "globalization" of food and eating patterns) from a more traditional, idiosyncratic rural cuisine.
 
For many reasons, the Argentine barbecue (asado) is the key to the Pampas Region: its large number of cattle, the selection of pasture and improved breeds. Formerly, cattle were roasted in a whole one piece, without any cut, in a ceremony that could last almost two days. Nowadays, this practice turned into the "barbecue with skin" (asado con cuero), which consist in a calf divided in chunks and buried into an ignited ditch for some hours.
 
The skin faces the ground, the meat is covered with a zinc sheet and the embers are placed above all staying hot-red for a couple of hours. Another way to roast meet is the asado a la cruz (barbecue in the cross) or asado a la reja (barbecue in the grid), which are very typical of the countryside, and of course, the grill. Anyway, the secret of great roasting lies in the cut of the meat and in the right handle of the fire. The meat is eaten alone or flavored with a variety of sauces, such as the "chimichurri."
 
You may enjoy German food at Villa General Belgrano (a very small town in Cordoba Province) and sausages and cheeses from Friuli in Colonia Caroya, also in Cordoba.
 
Many kitchens of Argentinean houses, if they are large, have a wooden table in the middle of the room to mix both the pizzas dough, as artisan bread, and even pastas dough. Some courtyards have a clay or stone oven to cook a good variety of dishes.
 
In Misiones and Formosa Provinces they stew the northern locro with meat, corn, squash and cassava; the beyú: from the Guarani’s culture, fried cake of cassava starch, which is consumed with milk, salt and cheese; chipá, cake with the same ingredients and egg; and the Paraguayan soup, made with bread of white corn flour, cheese, onions and spices.
 
Regional cuisine is spicy but delicious, with ingredients such as corn, small peppers and jerky beef, lamb or lean sun dried pork.
 
Do not miss the cheeses of the Chubut River valley.
 
In Patagonia, pates and smoked specialties are delightful, also venison and wild boar meat, trout, farm raised salmon and seafood. Try the crab. It is a must.
 
In the restaurants of Ushuaia, in southern Argentina, you can savor the famous lamb and the crab of the Beagle Channel waters.
 
Sweets, especially dulce de leche, are popular. Dulce de leche (a dark brown fluid paste, made from milk and sugar stirred at very high temperatures) is an essential ingredient of cakes, and shares the place of jelly and jam in breakfasts. It is used to top desserts and to fill alfajores and facturas (an alfajor consists of two round biscuits, often flavored, optionally coated with chocolate, joined by a layer of jelly; factura is the generic name for sweet baked pastry of different kinds, including but not limited to croissants and donuts).
 
Argentina is famous for its wine, the wine-making region in Argentina ranges between the 22° and 42° South latitude. It spreads at the foothills of the Andean Mountain Range along over 2,400 km., from the Province of Salta to the Province of Río Negro, with a variety of climates and soils that makes each region a unique land.
 
Mate is an ancient tradition, Argentines of all ethnic groups and classes prepare and serve mate according to a ritual that goes back hundreds of years. A server (cebador) fills a gourd (mate) cup almost to the rim with chopped yerba mate leaves and then pours heated (but not boiling) water into the mate. Drinkers sip the hot liquid through a bombilla, a silver straw with a bulbous filter at the end that prevents the leaves from entering the straw. The mate cup is passed clockwise around the group of friends or family. Each participant drinks the entire cup before it is passed to the next person. Mate is very popular in Argentina, with an average of 5 kg per person per year consumed -over 4 times the amount of coffee.
 
We must clarify that, despite everything, the Argentina is not the nightmare of vegetarian people. Italian dishes like gnocchis are a good alternative in many restaurants.
 
Likewise, there are many French, Spanish, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Japanese and German restaurants. Also, in the last few years, vegetarian and organic restaurants have been popping up everywhere.
 
The new Argentine cuisine, inspired by qualified chefs and encouraged by demanding gourmets, has acquired international level, competing with the best of the world.