Latin American cuisine is vastly varied and brimming with different tastes, textures, and flavors, and the reason why as easy to explain. Latin America as a region encompasses 21 different countries that make up Central and South America. Each of these countries, from Brazil to Honduras to Nicaragua, has developed its own culinary traits and trademarks.
Within kosher cooking, Latin cuisine is equally varied. Argentina has the highest Jewish population in all of Latin America, with a total of 184,500 Jewish residents. (This also gives it the seventh highest Jewish population in the entire world.)
A wide array of kosher restaurants are available in the city of Buenos Aires, many of which are open very late by American standards due to the popularity of the nightlife within the city. You’ll find pretty much every kosher menu item you can think of, from pizza and ice cream to steaks and sushi.
Traditionally, Argentinean cuisine has been highly influenced by European cooking, particularly Spanish and Italian, as well as native local ethnic groups. Argentinean cuisine is most well-known for its barbecue, roast beef, turnovers, breaded meat, and dulce de leche.
The country is well-known for its kosher beef, which is corn fed rather than grass fed, giving it a different flavor than what many Americans are used to. Buenos Aires is the location of the only kosher McDonalds in the world outside of Israel, so while one may not consider this to be “gourmet” Latin dining, it does offer the opportunity for kosher dining until 2 am in Buenos Aires.
Brazil, like Argentina, has a sizable Jewish population, ranking 11th in the world, and therefore offers many opportunities for kosher dining as well. Also like Argentina, Brazilian cuisine is well-known for its beef. One of the most primitive forms of cooking within Brazil is called churrasco. The gauchos, or Brazilian cowboys, used to kill and butcher animals out on the pampas, or plains, build a big fire, then grill the meat on a spit while basting it with vinegary sauce.
Over the years as cities within Brazil developed, this method became a bit more civilized. Today you can visit one of San Paulo’s six kosher meat facilities to try your own modernized version of churrasco. If you prefer seafood, you can find kosher seafood restaurants here, too. Try some Moqueca, which is a traditional seafood stew, which is made spicy with garlic and ginger, and sweet with chunks of plantain and coconut milk.
When it comes to kosher Latin cuisine, each country has its own distinct flavors and traditions. But if I had to pick a favorite, I would say that mine would be the cuisine of Cuba. Cuban food became particularly popular in the United States after hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled their home island when Castro came to power in 1959.
Much of Cuba’s cuisine goes back to the 15th century when the Taino-Arawak Indians introduced Columbus to corn, a culinary staple. Although pork plays a major role in Cuban cuisine, kosher cuisine has easily adapted some of the more popular recipes to instead include beef. Traditional black beans and rice are a filling and healthy pareve Cuban dish.
While there are no kosher restaurants in Cuba, you can dine with the Jewish community while visiting there. I’d also encourage you to try your hand at making some easy Cuban kosher recipes, such as this easy and delicious dinner and dessert:
Roast Chicken With Papaya Glaze (meat) serves 4-6
- 3½ pound roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 small onion, cut in chunks
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ripe papaya, peeled, halved and seeded
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Rub the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and refrigerate while preparing the glaze.
In the food processor, place the orange juice, brown sugar, onion, mustard, garlic, thyme and half the papaya. Process for 15-20 seconds until smooth. Brush the chicken with the papaya glaze.
Place in preheated oven and baste with the glaze every 15 minutes. Cook for 1 hour, or until juices run clear when pierced in thickest part with a sharp pointed knife.
Place any remaining glaze in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Pour over the chicken. Garnish with remaining papaya before serving.
Frozen Banana Custard (dairy) serves 4
-1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons light rum
- 2 large ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
- whipped cream or shaved chocolate (optional for serving)
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until small bubbles form at the sides of the pan. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs.
Add the eggs to the cooled milk, whisking constantly. Stir in the sugar and rum. Cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat.
Pour the mixture into the food processor or blender. Add the bananas. Process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Pour into a shallow container and place in freezer.
When mixture begins to freeze at the edges, whisk again until smooth. Cover and return to freezer until firm, 2-3 hours.
