An Edible Voyage

January 2020 This sweet treat says it all about the nation’s love for dulce de leche.    Traditionally two crumbly, softer than shortbread biscuits sandwiched with a thick smear of dulce de leche, there are countless variations.    From white, dark or milk chocolate enrobed classics, to chocolate biscuits forming the sandwich, to biscuits wrapped around calafate jam, to coconut dusted.    Bite sized to side plate sized, I even saw a triple alfajores comprising 3 biscuits and 2 layers of dulce de leche – a sweet club sandwich.   Find them everywhere - in cafes, panaderias, street stalls and artisan shops.    My favourite was a calafate jam filled, white chocolate enrobed alfajores from Chaltenos in El Chalten.    Made on the premises, the chocolate coating gave a satisfying crunch to an otherwise soft snack, the jam was fruity and flavourful, the biscuit wasn’t powdery like others I’ve tried, and it was the perfect size to e...

January 2020 El Calafate is named after this Patagonian berry, said to be similar to a blueberry.  I actually found this jam to have an unsatisfyingly smooth texture and tasted more like a poor quality strawberry jam.    Maybe the tantalising purple ice cream better showcases this native fruit, although I didn’t try it. Find both the jam and ice cream in many shops lining the main streets of El Calafate and El Chalten.