Food+Customs+of+Uruguay

Uruguayan Cuisine Customs  Uruguay has many interesting food customs. Many go back a long time to different cultures that founded or immigrated to Uruguay. An example of this is the guachos, or Uruguayan cowboys (Wanderers of The Pampas). They are the ones who originally settled and lived in Uruguay. Guachos had no way of preserving the meat of a cow they had killed so they would eat it all by cooking it over a fire (Wanderers of The Pampas). This mixed meat grill is the very popular asado that is still eaten today (gosouthamerica.about.com). The Guachos would be out in the wilderness all the time. They discovered the tea, mate by boiling it and drinking it, and it is very much a part of the culture today (gosouthamerica.about.com). In Uruguay the most important meal of the day is actually lunch. Most businesses close for a few hours during the day and it is a large sit down family meal (Cuisine in Montevideo, Uruguay). There are many immigrants from Spain and Italy. There are Italian restaurants everywhere, some of the best include Ristorante Panini, and Don Peperone (Top 10 Recommended Restaurants in Montevideo, Uruguay). Traditional Spanish and Italian dishes abound, as there are a large amount of immigrants from these countries. Seafood, of both saltwater and freshwater varieties, is eaten regularly (Cuisine from Uruguay). In Uruguay it is typical to tip ten percent at restaurants instead of fifteen (Uruguay Food and Dining).  