Gluten Free Argentina - a rough guide
Last year I left life as I knew it to travel for nearly 7 months, and being vegetarian and wheat-free, I was obviously a little dubious about how healthily I was going to be able to eat in South America. The previous year I had visited Salvador in Brazil for 3 weeks and subsisted mainly on crisps and fried cheese (and beer - it was the world cup after all).
My worries, it turned out, were unfounded; as we settled into Buenos Aires I was pleasantly surprised at the availability of gluten-free and coeliac friendly foods. Due, I think in some part, to the fact that the culture, especially in Buenos Aires, is so Italian-influenced, due to the influx in Italian immigrant workers during the Spanish colonial era. Pizza, Pasta, Gelato and espresso was everywhere we looked.
If you've ever been to Italy you will know that they take being coeliac very seriously, with provisions such as seperate food preparation areas for the gluten-free foods, and a huge range of gluten-free pizza and pasta restaurants easily accessible. We even came across a cafe which had a whole different floor and deli for the gluten free food. Buenos Aires hadn't quite reached those heights, but the benefits of an injection of Italian culture can certainly be seen in the range of gluten free options available.
I've compiled a short list of those places that I've personally tried, but I know there are a lot more that I've not sampled which can be easily googled. The only downside was that specialist gluten-free products and restaurants did tend to be a lot more expensive, and as we were on a limited travelling budget most days I just made do with rice cakes from the supermarket - which is not to be sniffed at! Some countries didn't even have rice cakes! Look out for the logo 'Sin T.A.C.C.' (above) on all gluten-free items in the supermarkets, in shop windows and on restaurant signs. This guarantees that they have been produced and packaged in a gluten-free environment. You can also find Sin T.A.C.C. items at Health Food shops, called Dieteticas. Buenos Aires, being very trendy, has loads of them!
Sin T.A.C.C. means without T: Trigo (wheat) A: Avena (oats) C: Cebada (barley) C: Centeno (rye)
Good gluten-free places in Buenos Aires:
Celigourmet - Palermo - they sell cakes, tarts, biscuits, bread.
Vichenzo - Monserrat http://bit.ly/2dPnRPF - amazing gluten-free deli. We bought pasta to cook in the hostel and sampled their spinach & cheese pastries.
Not personally been to these places but I've heard they're good -
Sintaxis in the Palermo neighborhood - http://www.sintaxispalermo.com/
Gout gluten free - Montevideo - http://www.goutglutenfree.com.ar/
Other locations across Argentina
Walk into most large supermarkets across Argentina (we mainly spent time in Buenos Aries, Puerto Madrin, Bariloche and Mendoza) and you shouldn't have trouble finding the gluten-free section. Most places sell gluten free pasta, biscuits, and have rice cakes and gluten free wafers (to be honest they do resemble cardboard but with enough dulce de leche on them they can be your friend). I found little snacks called 'chocoarroz' - basically sweet filled rice cakes - everywhere.
Quick note: Due to me being vegetarian as well, I can't speak to the gluten-free meat options available in Argentina; I am sure the steak provision is plentiful (and apparently delicious).
