I have a long list of places I want to travel to, and while seeking out pastry shops wherever I go is part of my normal routine, sometimes baking becomes the main purpose of the trip itself.
There’s the list of destinations I want to visit for the first time, and then there’s another list of places I specifically want to travel to for baking. The two overlap quite a bit, so whenever possible, I love combining a cultural trip with a baking-focused adventure.
One of those destinations is Argentina. I’ve never been there, and while I have plenty of reasons for wanting to visit, food is at the top of the list. Beyond the savory classics—asado, empanadas, choripán, milanesa, and chimichurri, all of which I love—I’ve discovered an incredibly interesting world of sweets that I’m eager to explore.
I live in Barcelona now, where the Argentinian community is quite large. There are plenty of authentic places serving all the savory dishes I mentioned, but I’ve been discovering sweet treats I had never heard of before, and every new discovery makes me want to visit Argentina even more.
I’ve always known that alfajores are a staple of Argentinian baking, and at the heart of them is dulce de leche, which seems to taste a little different in every Latin American country. I’ve made alfajores before, but I would love to take a class in Argentina and learn more about them firsthand.
Dulce de leche is the star of countless Argentinian desserts. There’s an amazing dessert shop in Barcelona called Maru Botana where I tried a cake that completely blew my mind: Tarta Rogel.
It consists of layers of crisp pastry sheets filled with dulce de leche and topped with meringue. It reminds me of a crepe cake, except the layers are crisp rather than soft. They’re not particularly sweet on their own, and the texture reminds me a bit of unsalted saltine crackers. It’s a relatively simple cake with just three main components, but you wouldn’t believe how delicious it is until you try it.
Another thing Argentinians are exceptionally good at is ice cream and gelato. Naturally, dulce de leche ice cream appears on almost every menu, often paired with other flavors. One of my favorite ice cream shops in Barcelona is Holy Madre, where they serve incredible combinations featuring dulce de leche. Their creamy coconut ice cream with swirls of dulce de leche is my particular weakness.
And going back to the savory food, I love savory baking as much as sweet, and at the top of my list is learning to make authentic argentinian empanadas. There’s a lot, and some really good empanada places in Barcelona, my favorite is Fabrica Empanadas, where they have the classic ground beef (with raisins).
I’m not sure when I’ll finally make it to Argentina. It’s a long trip, and when I go, I want to take my time, travel around, and eat absolutely everything. In the meantime, I’ll keep discovering new desserts, adding recipes and techniques to my baking bucket list, and dreaming about the day I can experience it all in person.
