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facturas	facturas, pan, mate
These yummy pastries are one of the most basic elements of the Argentine diet. They are eaten for breakfast and tea (merienda) and any other moment of great need, usually to acompany mate. Facturas cost generally $3 per dozen, and you can buy them in any bakery (on almost every block). They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and there are four basic fillings...
dulce de leche	like caramel, but not really
dulce de membrillo	fruity
crema pastelera	custard
roquefort	more like cream cheese
Many of the names of facturas were invented around the turn of the century, when the bakers were Italian immigrants who also happened to be anarchists, or just generally anti-organized religion. The result is a lot of names intended to mock the Catholic Church, the police, etc...
bola de fraile	friar ball
suspiro de monja	nun's sigh
sacramento	sacrament
vigilante	guard
The most porteño factura is the medialuna de grasa, a marvellously rich variation of the French croissant with both salty and sweet overtones. Bakeries are full of all kinds of other goodies to eat for a snack (merienda), including cakes, cookies, chocolates, you name it. (Did I forget to mention that Argentines are shamelessly sweet-toothed?) A sampler...
tortita negra	biscuit covered with black sugar
pastafrola	part cheesecake, part fruit pie
bizcocho	biscuit-like, cookie-ish delight (not sweet)
churro	fried tube w/ cross-section of an asterisk
Last updated 11/14/2005