One of Montevideo’s great tourist places is the Mercado del Puerto right by the main harbour entrance. This old market has been turned into a mecca for anyone wanting to sample Uruguay’s great Parrillada / BBQ tradition. There are about ten or so different parrilladas in this building each serving an impressive array on BBQ meat, principally beef but also whole chickens, lamb and pork. Each restaurant centres round a BBQ, which has whole racks of meat gently cooking over the glowing wooden embers. Some even have mechanical rotating grills that keep the cooked meat warm as they move from higher to lower heat. To the side is a massive wood burner shaped like a great big vat, where logs of wood are continually topped up and there is a roaring flame. As the wood burns the embers fall to the bottom and one of the cooks takes out a great big metal tool to sweep the embers to be under the cooking meat.

The temperature in the whole building is very hot and the teams of chefs have to continually cool down by drinking copious amounts of water. We tried two different restaurants and, both times had prime seats facing the BBQ. The chefs that work in these restaurants look like they operate as great teams, which generate a great welcoming atmosphere.  The meat itself is awesome and goes down equally well with red wine or beer.

In Punta Carretas we discovered a small local parrilliada called La Pulperia, which was similar to those in the Mercado del Puerto but on a much smaller scale. Again the main BBQ was the epicentre of the restaurant but the whole place was much more intimate and significantly less rushed, notwithstanding the queues waiting to get in. The key is to arrive as soon as it opens otherwise you’ll be in for a long wait, but it is worth it.

Not only does Uruguay have a great tradition in parrilliadas, it also makes some pretty decent wines. While Uruguay is much less well known for wine than Argentina and Chile with their nationally renowned Malbec and Camenere grape types as well as the usual French and Italian grapes, it has adopted the Tannat grape as its national grape. This grape was originally from the Basque region of France and is often used in blends back in Europe. The wine developed from this grape in Uruguay is well worth looking out for. Clearly it goes naturally well with beef, but is also a decent wine that could be drunk with other foods or on its own. It is not as full bodied as a Malbec and can make a very pleasant evening.

There are some specialist importers in Europe and it is definitely worth looking out for as something different. The vineyards where this grape is cultivated are located just outside Montevideo.

In the Punta Carretas area we discovered a very pleasant shop come wine bar, called Boca Negra, that specialised in local wines. In the evenings it had three wine fridges each with about eight bottles and a card activated dispenser. Essentially with your card you selected the wine and the technology dispensed a measure of wine, small medium or large. Each individually priced. as the evening progresses you can work you way through a number of different wines. They also served cheese and other finger foods. Alternatively you could select a whole wine bottle from the shelves and drink that. In all, a great showcase for Uruguayan wines and a very pleasant evening.

 

Date: 21/02/2018 to 25/02/2018