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| Vir with the special leather and silver mate cup and straw |
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Vir (short for Virginia) is one of the relatively few Uruguayans in
Berlin. It is a relatively small country, after all, with less than 4
million inhabitants. She has invited me over for empanadas, and is
assisted by her charming boyfriend Ivan, as well as friends Nico and
Emanuel, all from Argentina. They share a lot of cultural and culinary
traditions. I cannot hide my smile when Vir tells me that her first date
with Ivan involved "a walk in the park drinking
mate"...!
I can always spot the mate (MAH-tay) addicts in Berlin, toting around their
personal calabash cup with thick metal straw. Basically, it is a heavily
caffeinated tea, known to function as a pick-me-up, and drunk through a
straw with a filter for the tea leaves. It dates from pre-colonial
times, and is still incredibly popular in Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina
and some of the neighbouring regions. Vir was a huge fan, and shows me
the gorgeous leather and silver cup she used to use. Sadly she has
developed a sensitivity to the drink in recent years, meaning her
stomach will not allow the regular consumption that used to be part of
her daily routine. In Uruguay, it is common to walk around with a
thermos of hot water to refill the cup, and the most "Uruguayan injury"
is a burn on the hand...from hot water spilling from thermoses that have
not been closed properly. Vir herself was burned this way as a toddler,
when her aunt bent over above her and boiling water poured out of the
thermos she was carrying. The Argentinians present tonight insist that
they do not follow this habit and can recognize the Uruguayans abroad by
the combination of mate cup
and thermos. All seem a little
surprised that the Germans are also in love with a local, very
different, version of the drink, the sweet carbonated soda called
Club-Mate.
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Ivan, Vir and the Fernet
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Very
non-German is the fact that the dinner invite was for 19:30, and the
actual meal started around 22:00. This meant lots of time for chatting,
laughing, snacking and drinking a typical mix of both Uruguay and
Argentina: Fernet and coke. Fernet
is a digestive liqueur originally from Italy, but much more popular in
South America than in its country of origin. Quite bitter, and somewhat
reminiscent of cough syrup, it is an acquired taste, somewhat like
Campari or Aperol. Ivan was so excited to see it on offer in the local
supermarket, he immediately bought three of the special edition bottles
celebrating the brand's 175th anniversary.
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Vir mixing the flour with olive oil
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As Vir starts preparing
the empanadas, she confides that this one of the handful of times that
she is actually making the dough herself from scratch. She would
normally buy the dough ready made, pre-cut in circles of the right size.
Or, even more common, she would just buy the empanadas from a corner
shop, ready to eat. She estimates she has eaten more than 200 empanadas
in her lifetime! Tonight, she is preparing two varieties. The first
contains mushrooms, bacon bits and cheese; the second a filling of
ground beef, boiled eggs, chopped onions and bell pepper. Paprika powder
is added to the filling. Although the tin of paprika says 'spicy', I
would call the end product flavourful, but not spicy like the kick you
get from chili powder. Empanadas are very popular in Uruguay, not only
as a snack on the way to or from school, but also at stadiums during
football matches. When made at home, they are a traditional starter
before a big family barbecue. They are a tad smaller than the ones I had
for the Chilean meal
years ago, and I manage to finish four before feeling pleasantly sated.
Ivan has to withstand some teasing for finishing twelve at a recent
dinner. Tonight he is able to restrain himself and sticks to a modest
four as well.
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Vir rolling out the dough with the classic improvised rolling pin - a bottle!
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I had met a few other Uruguayans in Berlin a
while back who told me that gnocchi was also a typical food, and for
some reason often served on the 29th of the month.
Vir confirms that this is still common, and it is often on the menu of
restaurants on this date. As well, it is a tradition to place some
change under the plate to bring good luck (and good fortune?) in the
month to come. Apparently, gnocchi (a dish brought over by Italian
immigrants, like the Fernet) was popular around the 29th as it was cheap
to make - and payday was at the very end of the month!
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Vir filling the empanadas with the beef, bell pepper and boiled egg mix
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Before
tonight, the main thing I knew about Uruguay was that it was the home of
Mario Benedetti, one of the more accessible greats of Latin American
literature. Interesting is that he learned German in school and even translated Kafka
into Spanish! Vir is clearly proud of her country, and deservedly so.
Though, like Argentina and Chile, it suffered through a (US-backed)
right-wing dictatorship in the 70s and early 80s, it has been remarkably
stable, democratic and peaceful since then. It is one of the most
socially progressive countries in the whole continent, having legalised
sex marriage, abortion and marijuana. Vir does mention that the latter
is sold legally only in pharmacies,
and only if you are registered with the government. Potentially some of
the more left-wing policies might be overturned now that a centre-right
government is in power, for the first time in 15 years.
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The end result: golden brown empanadas
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In the
meantime, Vir will stay in Europe, finishing her PhD in digital
education, and trying to hold on to some of the traditions from back
home. The look of joy on her face when she opens a big bag of maté
brought over from Argentina as a gift is touching. That feeling is
recognizable for all who have had unexpected access to a familiar and
beloved food after a long period of going without. A similar sentiment
was shared by my Danish host in Sierra Leone after being presented with real rye flour from back home; she said eating the bread was 'just like Christmas'!
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Emanuel tasting the wine before we all dig in and devour the empanadas
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