It would be safe to say that exotic food in any foreign country is a big draw for anyone looking to travel internationally. I’m sure that when most people think of eating in another country they think of exotic dishes and meals that will knock their socks off. This would be no exception. When we were prepped for the food scene down in Uruguay, one word reigned supreme when describing their cuisine: MEAT. I thought I was prepared for the copious amounts of meat, but I could not fully comprehend the sheer amount of beef that I would put into my body.
I am no stranger to beef. It is one of my greatest joys in life to eat a steak, but when I say Uruguay knows the best way to eat beef, what I mean is they know how to eat lots of it. I do not believe I have ever seen a culture casually eat a nearly pure carnivorous diet as I witnessed in Uruguay. Every meal, whether breakfast, lunch, or supper, has some sort of meet within it. I loved every second of it. The sheer volume of meat prepared for our group daily felt like it was enough to support the US beef industry by itself.
On top of the volume, the cuts were unique and interesting and were once-in-a-lifetime eats. Things I thought I never would catch myself eating were custom practices in the country. Blood sausage, cow tongue, sweetbreads, and intestine were all popular dishes in the country, and when in Uruguay do as the Uruguayans do. Surprisingly, everything I listed was some of the best food I have ever experienced. It is safe to say the one thing I miss most, after the people I met while in the country, was the food.
