Naples of the New World
How Italy’s Flavors — and Gestures — Became Argentina’s Daily Bread Walk down a Buenos Aires street and you’re never far from Italy. A corner fábrica de pasta is busy shaping tallarines and ravioles for the Sunday rush. A deli case gleams with jamón crudo y cocido (prosciutto crudo e cotto) , bondiola (capocollo) , salami , mortadella , provolone , and the beloved Argentine invention: Reggianito — essentially a small-format “Parmesano” inspired by Parmigiano-Reggiano, made to be affordable, grateable, and always within reach in the Argentine fridge. In fact, Argentina’s cheese scene has leveled up so much that producers like El Puente are now making a 36-month aged parmesano that — while not cheap — is an amazing product and can genuinely rival the real Italian stuff. (Don’t take my word for it — go try it and see.) Across the road, a gelato shop churns out pistachio, sambayón ( zabaione ), and Argentina’s own dulce de leche . Somewhere nearby, the yeasty perfume of a pi...
