English | Spanish

Although the Argentine’s language, legal system and cultural roots were originally Spanish, the great immigrations of the late XIXth and early XXth century, completely redefined the society as a whole. Today Argentina presents a more diversified, predominantly southern European character which is reflected in the country’s architecture, music, literature and lifestyle. There are plenty of festivals, cinemas, theatres and concerts. Buenos Aires alone has over 100 cinemas and 90 theatres.  High literacy rates and a sparkling literary heritage have made the annual Book Fair a magnet that draws more than a million visitors from mainly Spanish speaking countries to Buenos Aires. Painting and sculpture are also important and works are showcased in the many tree lined boulevards, public spaces and art galleries in the main cities.  Music-wise, the city of Buenos Aires is the birthplace of tango, an urban expression born from the amalgamation of diverse musical forms and instruments brought about by immigration.

Asado with potatoes

Argentine food is a rich fusion of Spanish, Italian and French culinary traditions, which make it distinct from other South American cuisines. Argentines love their meat and the asado, a typical Argentine barbecue is a celebration of that. Argentines prefer to satisfy their sweet tooth with dulce de leche, a sweet paste made from milk that is used in a mind boggling number of desserts – from cr�me caramels to cookies to ice cream or simply spread on toast.

Typical Argentine fare includes asado (barbecue), empanadas (turnovers with various stuffings), tamales (chicken or other meat wrapped in corn husks), humita (grated corn, sweet peppers and tomatoes wrapped in the green leaves of corn) and locro (a stew of meat, potato, pumpkin, corn and sweet pepper) as well as an awesome variety of pizzas and pasta.  These days, migration has brought all the flavours of the world to Argentina and you’ll find European, Asian, Middle Eastern and many other sorts of other food. Steak is a biggie on the Argentine menu, as is wine, which is locally grown and produced.

Mat� is the national drink of Argentina, a tea-like infusion made form the leaves of the yerba mat�. Served traditionally in a gourd and sipped through a silver straw, it is as much a social ritual as a mere drink.

Learn more: http://www.argentina.ar/_en/tourism/C791-argentine-gastronomy.php

A still from La Guerra Gaucha (1942) an Argentine classic

Argentine cinema dates back to 1896 with the introduction of the Lumi�re Cin�matographe in Buenos Aires. Since then, Argentine films have gone on to earn international acclaim. This includes two Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film (La Historia Oficial in 1985 and El Secreto de sus Ojos in 2010) as well as four other nominations. The First Argentine Film Festival in Mumbai was held between the 2nd and the 6th of February in 2009 at the Y.B. Chavan Centre as a way of promoting a better understanding of Argentine cinema by Indian audiences.

Learn More: http://www.en.argentina.ar/_en/culture/cinema/index.php

An impromptu tango performance in La Boca

Argentina is the birth place of tango, both the music and the dance that accompanies it. Like jazz, tango is an urban art form, born in the working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires. in the early 19th century. it draws from such varied influences as African dance, European music and Latin American creole rhythms from Cuba and Uruguay. Carlos Gardel is the most well-known figure in tango, but others include Osvaldo Pugliese,  Anibal Troilo, Astor Piazzolla, Enrique Santos Disc�polo among many others.

The World Tango Festival is organized every year in Buenos Aires and draws tango lovers from all over the world. The 7th edition took place from the 14th to the 31st of August this year, drawing over 300,000 people. The competition sees both professionals and amateurs perform. Apart from the competition, there are other attractions such as milongas, exhibitions, free classes, dance shows and Works in Progress of the most prestigious dance companies.

Learn More: http://www.en.argentina.ar/_en/culture/tango/index.php

Front page of the literary magazine Sur from 1952

More than 80 million books are published annually in Argentina, making it one of the most important centres of Hispanic and indeed, world literature. The city of Buenos Aires plays host to an international book fair every year. This year it will be held between 22rd April and 10th May. The Buenos Aires International Book Fair is one of the five largest book fairs in the world, and the largest Spanish language one. An International Poetry Festival is also held each year  as part of the International Book Festival. The highlight of the poetry festival is its unusual venues for poetry readings which can range from hospitals to prisons in an attempt to make poetry more accessible. A first hand account of the festival can be found on this blog entry by R. Vishwanathan, the Indian Ambassador to Argentina.

Argentina has produced a number of prolific writers, among them Jorge Luis Borges, Adolfo Bioy Casares and Julio Cort�zar. Argentina and India share an interesting literary relationship through Rabindranath Tagore, who visited the country in 1924 as a guest of the Argentine intellectual, Victoria Ocampo, best known for promoting Argentine literature through her magazine, Sur. Tagore's anthology of poems Purabi was inspired by this visit.

Learn More: http://www.en.argentina.ar/_en/culture/literature/index.php

The Funes stadium in San Luis, named after Argentine footballer Juan Gilberto Funes

The national game of Argentina is pato, played on horseback and blending together elements of polo and basketball with breathtaking horsemanship.

Football is clearly the most popular sport in Argentina. The national team has two World cups to its credit, among other wins and Argentina has a number of prestigious football clubs, including Boca Juniors and River Plate.

While football is the face of Argentine sport in India, polo is the sport were Argentina maintains unrivaled worldwide supremacy the world over. Out of the world's top ten polo players, nine are Argentine. The Argentine Polo Open is the most important polo event in the world at the club level. Organized annually since 1893, it takes place at Campo Argentino de Polo, known as "The Cathedral of Polo."
 
Juan Manuel Fangio, an early Argentine racing pioneer and five time Formula 1 champion, is the only man to have ever won with four different makes of car.

Las Leonas ("the lionesses") is the name given to Argentina's women's hockey team, which has won six World Cups and three Olympic medals, among many other prizes. For golf lovers, Argentina offers international golf courses in a variety of locations, both urban and pastoral.

Argentine teams and players have a long history of outstanding achievement in automobile racing, horse racing, rugby, basketball, golf, tennis, shooting, swordsmanship and many other sports.

Learn more: http://www.en.argentina.ar/_en/sports/