Food of the Week: Choripan and Bondiola

Our food of the week (or more realistically – food whenever the hell we decide to post it) is choripan and bondiola sandwiches!

These sammies are quite possibly some of the most delicious street food you can buy here. There isn’t very much street food available here anyways, so it’s an easy win. They can cure the worst hangover, are delicious in any weather, are good any time of day, and I *think* they may have magical healing powers. You can generally find these wonderful sandwich grills anywhere where there are large groups of people taking a stroll. Our favorite spot to go is Costanera Sur, basically a boardwalk in Puerto Madero that stretches along the outside of the Ecological Reserve. Parrilla stand after parrilla stand line the boardwalk, and your nose is filled with the enchanting smell of grilling meat. 

This one is our favorite, El Torito, on Costanera Sur.

What is a choripan or a bondiola? Well, they are two similar, yet different grilled sandwiches. Both use semi-stale, crusty French bread and are filled with smoky, fatty, delectable, grilled meat. Generally, the good stands have a variety of toppings you can put on your sandwich including, but not limited to chimichurri, marinated onions, marinated tomatoes, hot sauce, lettuce, etc.

Choripan is a fusion of two words: chorizo and pan (bread). Yes, choripan is a grilled sausage sandwich. I know, your mouth is watering. They split the chorizo in half lengthwise, and slap it on the grill. It gets hot and crispy on the outside. Then, they put it between two slices of French bread, and you get to top it with whatever goodies you want.

You know you want it.

Bondiola refers to the cut of pork used in this sandwich. They take a big pork shoulder (bondiola) and cook it slowly on the grill. When you order, they slice some meat off of the big chunk and crisp it up on the grill some more. From then on, it’s the same method as the choripan.

I'm in love.

Jesse has been on a choripan kick recently while I have been partial to the bondiola. And…if your mouth is not watering at this point, there is something wrong with you.