Eating Raul: The Offal Truth About Argentinian Cuisine

A couple of Baby Chandons at the "Jim Morrison Club Bar" in Cordoba and the courage was there.

Down the street from the hotel was a traditional parrilla steakhouse. La Parrilla de Raúl, in fact. The words came out of Sheena's mouth: "Dos parrillas completos".

Seven cuts of meat. Served over about a 45 minute period. All you can eat salad bar too. 18 pesos each (about 7 bucks).

What we think was sliced pork came out first, with a lovey bearnaise type of sauce.

Then came a mixed plate of blood sausage, chorizo and what we have since identified as chinchulines (chitlins, for my Americano readers). We had made a pact to at least try one bite of anything put in front of us. My one bite only was the blood sausauge. Icky texture, though a deep flavour that was unique to anything else I have eaten. The chitlins were fun. Crispy grilled with a nice crunch... with a pate-like creamy goo that squirted out of the end.

Some kind of organ meat, not really sure what it was. Kind of grey and mushy. Then a wonderfully crunchy almost caramelized flank steak, bit of rib...with the piece de resistance an unbearably salty piece of roasted tripe. All washed down by another lovely Mendoza Malbec.

Agreed we would do it again before leaving Argentina. Might get up the nerve this time to try it at a roadside truckstop that the locals seem to like...outdoor wood grill, picnic tables in somebody's driveway. For about 8 pesos.