Argentina

By Rachel Whitten

La Bandera

The national flag of Argentina is composed of three horizontal bands coloured light blue, white and light blue. However, there are many different interpretations of what the colours symbolise. The flag was designed by Manuel Belgrano, and was first raised at the city of Rosario on February 27, 1812, during the Argentine War of Independence. The national flag memorial was later built on this site where it was raised for the first time. The first Triumvirate did not approve the use of the flag, but the Asamblea Del Año XIII allowed the use of the flag as a war flag. It was in 1816, when the Congress of Tucumán finally allowed it as the national flag. It was in 1818 when the yellow sun of May was added to the centre. The full flag featuring the yellow sun of May is called the Official Ceremonial flag. The flag without the sun is considered the Ornamental flag. While both versions are equally considered to be the national flag of the country, the Ornamental flag must always be hoisted underneath the Official Ceremonial flag.

The Official Ceremonial Flag The Ornamental Flag

Informacion The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires. The population of the country is an estimated 43,417,000. This figure is almost seven times the population of Ireland (which is approximately 6,378,000). Argentina has a total area of 2,780,400 square kilometres compared to Ireland’s 84,421 square kilometres. In Argentina, there is a variety of climates. The north of the country usually has very hot, humid summers (resulting in a lot of swamplands) with mild, dry winters, and sometimes periods of drought during the winter season. Central Argentina has hot summers with tornadoes, thunderstorms and cool winters. The southern regions have warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall, especially in mountainous areas. Argentina is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is also the eight largest country by land area in the world and the largest Spanish speaking nation in the world. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. The official language of Argentina is Spanish. However, it has Italian influence due to many Italian migrants living there. Italian is spoken by over 1.5 million people in Argentina, while English is spoken by over 40% of the country. Over 75% of the Argentine population are Catholic, with 11% being either Agnostics or Atheists. Argentina is home to both the largest Muslim and the largest Jewish communities in Latin America. Argentina is a member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. In March 2013, Pope Francis became the first Pope from the Americas and from the Southern Hemisphere, the first non-European Pope in 1272 years and the first Jesuit one.

Comida Tipica

Empanadas

Argentine empanadas are often served at parties or festivals as a starter or main course. Empanadas are freshly made in many shops with many flavours and fillings. They are made of dough and can be baked (Salta style) or fried (Tucuman style). Depending on the filling, a pattern (known as a repulgue) is added to the pastry fold. In Tucuman, chocolate prune filling is banned as the tender of their taste was too avant-garde.

Humita is a Native American dish, extremely popular in Argentina. It is made of masa harina and corn, slowly cooked in oil. In Argentina, humitas are prepared with fresh corn, sautéed onions and some spices, depending on the region. The dough is wrapped in corn husks and boiled. It is also common to add some diced goats cheese to the dough. The noun ‘humita’ descends from Quechua, a language found in the northwestern part of Argentina.

Locro

Locro is a hearty, thick stew popular along the Andes mountain range. The dish is a classic Ecuadorian cheese and potato soup from the Ecuadorian cuisine, which is highly popular in Argentina. This is also a dish in Peruvian cuisine, which was at one stage the centre of the Incan empire. It is in Argentina because it was prepared by the different native Indian tribes at the time of the Spanish conquest. Its origin dates back to before the Spanish colonial times. The main ingredients are corn, a type of meat (usually beef, beef jerky or chorizo) and vegetables. Other ingredients can be onion, beans, squash and pumpkin. It is mainly eaten in winter. In Argentina, it is considered a national dish, and is often served on May 25, the anniversary of the May Revolution. In some parts of the country, particularly in the Santiago del Estero province, a red hot sauce made from red peppers and paprika, known as ‘quiquirimichi’ is served on the side.

Mate

Mate is prepared by steeping dry leaves and twigs of the mate plant in hot water. Many people in Argentina drink mate with friends from a shared hollow with a metal straw. The flavour of mate is herbal, vegetal and grassy. If prepared with boiling water, the taste can be very bitter. Flavoured mate can also be served, with another herb, such as peppermint or citrus rind. In Argentina, mate can be sold in teabags and in loose form, to be drunk as tea. In certain specialised shops, it can be served either hot or iced with fruit juice or milk. In Argentina, it is common to drink mate with breakfast or afternoon, often with a selection of sweet pastries. An iced and sweetened version of mate is sold as a soft drink, sometimes with a fruit flavouring. These have more of a spicy fragrance. In Argentina, cimarrón is another form of mate, when regular mate is shaken, causing the foam to form a creamy layer. A mate infusion is also drunk as a cold or iced beverage, usually sucked out of a horn cup with a metal straw, prepared using iced or cold water. This is called tereré, and is mainly consumed in northeast Argentina.

Asado

Asado is a term used for a range of barbecue methods and the event of attending a barbecue in Argentina. An asado usually consists of beef alongside other meats, which are cooked on a grill, called a parilla. After appetisers, costillas or asado de tira (ribs) can be served. Next comes vacío (steak), metambre and chicken and chivito (goatling). Dishes such as pamplona, pork and Patagonian lamb are now being more frequently served, particularly in restaurants. An asado also includes bread, a simple mixed salad, or verdurajo (grilled vegetables). Asados usually have beer, wine, soda to drink and fresh fruit as dessert. The meat for an asado is not marinated, salt is added instead before and during cooking. It usually takes around two hours to cook an asado. The asado is usually served on a tray with chimichurri, a sauce of chopped parsley, dried oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, paprika with olive oil, salsa criolla, a sauce of tomato and onion in vinegar.

Dulce de Leche

Dulce de leche means “sweet of milk” in Spanish. It is prepared by slowly heating sweetened milk to create a dessert that tastes like caramelised sugar. It is extremely popular throughout Argentina and other Latin American countries. In the most basic recipe for Dulce de Leche, slowly simmer milk and sugar, but other ingredients can be added to add special properties. This causes the water in the milk to evaporate. A home-made version can also be made by boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for two or three hours. A solid candy made from Dulce de Leche named vaquita (meaning little cow), was sold in Argentina. However, this company went out of business in 1984. Many brands now make similar candies named vaquita and vaquerita, in an attempt to link their project to the original. Dulce de leche is used to flavour candies and other sweet foods, such as cakes, cookies, ice creams or crème caramels. It also provides the ‘toffee’ part of a banoffee pie.

Gente Famosa

Felipe Contepomi

Felipe Contepomi was born on 20 August 1977 in Buenos Aires. He is a former Argentine rugby captain and played for the Pumas for 15 years alongside his twin brother Manuel, either as a fly-half or as a centre. Contepomi played for Bristol from 2001 to 2003 and played for Leinster from 2003 until 2009, winning one Heineken Cup and winning the Magners League. He played in Toulon from 2009 until 2011, where he completed his career in 2013 playing for Stade Français. He is the current coach for the Argentine rugby team and holds the Argentine record for most points scored, with a total of 651 points throughout his career lasting from 1998 until 2013. Contepomi was nominated by the IRB as one of five nominees for the 2007 International Player of the Year award, which was won by Bryan Habana of the Springboks (South Africa). However, Contepomi won the 2007 Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year. Contepomi studied in The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and worked with his medical degree in Beaumont Hospital as a surgeon. He also famously shaved his head several times to earn money for various charities around the world.

Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona is a retired Argentine football player, born on October 30th 1960. He is considered by many people to be the greatest footballer of all time. He won FIFA Player of the Century award by a massive 53% of the votes. Maradona played in four different FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 tournament where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany in the final. However, he caused major controversy in the quarter-final that year against England, where he scored two goals for a 2-1 victory. The first goal became known as the ‘Hand of God’, as it was via an unpenalised handball, which has been a historic moment in football history. His second goal in the match was also voted as goal of the century. He was sent home from the 1994 World Cup in America after testing positive for a performance enhancing drug known as ephedrine. He retired on his 37th birthday in 1997, but immediately gained weight. He underwent a stomach stapling surgery in 2005 to control his weight gain, and he overcame his cocaine addiction. He became the national Argentine team’s coach in November 2008 and held the title for 18 months until his contract expired after the 2010 World Cup.

Juan Martín Del Potro

Juan Martín Del Potro, born on 23 September 1988, is a professional Argentine tennis player. He received a Top 10 ranking by the Association of Tennis Professionals on October 6, 2008. In January 2010, he reached his highest ranking of his career, being ranked as World No. 4. Soon after receiving this ranking, Del Potro had to withdraw from most of the tournaments in 2010 due to a wrist injury, and his ranking plummeted. Del Potro won his first senior match in 2004 at the age of 15. In 2008, he became the first player in the Association of Tennis Professionals history to win his first four career titles in as many tournaments. He also completed the second longing winning streak in 2008, and the second longest by a teenager in the Open Era, behind Rafael Nadal-with his winning sequence lasting 23 matches over 5 tournaments. Del Potro captured his first Grand Slam title at the 2009 US Open, defeating Nadal in the semi-final, and Roger Federer in the final, becoming the first to beat both Federer and Nadal in the same Grand Slam tournament (later achieved by Novak Djokovic in the 2011 US Open). He became the second Argentine and the fifth youngest man to win the US Open title in the Open Era. At 1.98m (6 foot 5”) tall, he is the tallest player to have ever won a Grand Slam.

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi was born in Argentina on the 24th of June 1987. He is the captain of the Argentine national team and plays for FC Barcelona in La Liga and the Champions League. Messi plays as a forward and has won many awards including the FIFA player of the year. His playing style is often compared to that of Diego Maradona. He is also often compared to Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese striker for Real Madrid, a rival team of Barcelona. The two are commonly referred to as the best players on earth. He was diagnosed at a young age with a tumour on his brain. He moved to Spain in 2000 (age 13) with his family to receive treatment. Here, he played football and was quickly noticed by FC Barcelona. Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final. Shortly after this tournament, Messi was brought up to the senior Argentine international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, he won an Olympic gold medal in Beijing and he won a runners up medal in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Javier Mascherano

Javier Mascherano was born in Argentina on the 8th of June 1984. Mascherano currently plays as a defensive midfielder for FC Barcelona. Mascherano won an Olympic gold medal in Athens and finished as a runner up in the Cop América in 2004 an again in 2008. Mascherano moved to Europe and signed for West Ham United before signing for Liverpool on loan in 2007. He officially signed for Liverpool in February 2008 for £18.6 million. Mascherano was appointed as Argentine captain by coach Diego Maradona in 2008after winning a second Olympic gold in Beijing, 2008. Maradona frequently said the Argentine team was ‘’Mascherano, Messi and 9 more’.