Chivito (sandwich)

A chivito sandwich with lettuce, tomato, thin filet steak, bacon, ham, mushrooms, olives, mozzarella cheese, onion, egg, garlic mayonnaise on a bun.

A chivito sandwich, with all the trimmings

Chivito is the name of a sandwich-style national dish in Uruguay, and consists primarily of a thin slice of filet mignon (churrasco beef), with mayonnaise, black or green olives, mozzarella, tomatoes and commonly also bacon, fried or hardboiled eggs and ham. It is served in a bun, often with a side of French fries.^{[1] [2]} Other ingredients might be added into the sandwich such as red beets, peas, grilled or pan-fried red peppers and slices of cucumber.

Origins

The word Chivito literally means "little goat" or "baby goat". It is claimed the name arose at a restaurant in Uruguay, when a patron who was from the northern part of Argentina (Cordoba) ordered baby goat meat ("chivito") like one that she had ordered in Argentina. She was looking for a special taste, something similar to what she had experienced in her region. But since the restaurant owner Mr. Cabrera did not have this specialty, he served his toasted bread with ham, sliced filet mignon and seasoned it with different ingredients.^{[citation needed]} This happened in Punta del Este (Uruguay-South America) in a famous 1960s local restaurant named "El Mejillon" owned by Mr Carbonaro. This restaurant does not exist anymore in Punta del Este, but anyone who wants to know the real story should contact Graciela Carbonaro, Mr Carbonaro's daughter who still lives in Punta del Este.^{[original research?]} The biggest ever "chivito" party was organized in Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay).^{[citation needed]}

Variants

The Canadian Chivito (in Spanish Chivito Canadiense) is a variation of the sandwich, with the addition of Canadian bacon.

Although generally served as a sandwich, the chivito can also be served as a chivito platter (in Spanish Chivito al Plato). The dish would be prepared as an open sandwich, without the bread. The dish is generally served with Russian salad and/or French fries. In Argentina it is called lomito.

See also

Bacon portal

References

1. ^ Caskey, Liz (2010). Knack South American Cooking: A Step-by-Step Guide to Authentic Dishes Made Easy. Guilford, CT, USA: Globe Pequot Press. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-1-59921-918-9. http://books.google.com/?id=XOgdzXyTjl0C&pg=PA148&dq=chivito#v=onepage&q=chivito&f=false. 
2. ^ Bernhardson, Wayne (2008). Moon Buenos Aires. Berkeley, CA, USA: Avalon Travel div. of Perseus Books Group. pp. 74. ISBN 978-1-56691-991-3. http://books.google.com/?id=StsjlVpzG7EC&pg=PA74&dq=chivito#v=onepage&q=chivito&f=false.