Uruguay’s Amazing National Dish: The Chivito Sandwich

What does it say about the national palate of Uruguay that their national dish is a sandwich of such unparalleled deliciousness — a sandwich of sheer amazing brilliance?

Let’s list the basic parts of a chivito:

• Steak
• Mozzarella
• Mayonnaise
• Bacon
• Olives
• A fried egg (just to, you know, top it off…)

It’s like a whole pantry of our very favorite things to eat! “Chivito” means “little goat” in Spanish, and according to the story, the dish was created in the 60s when an Argentine asked a restaurant owner for a dish of roasted goat like the one she was accustomed to back home. The chef had no goat, but he slapped together a sandwich and topped it with a little of just about everything in the kitchen. It was a hit, and the Uruguayan sandwich-eating public never looked back.

The chivito pictured above was put together by Amy and Jonny at We Are Never Full, after a momentous visit to Montevideo. As they say:

Until that moment, we had been led to believe that the United States was the home of the world’s most ambitious and artery-busting sandwiches — indeed, it is home to most of them — but we now know that the Uruguayans, in their charmingly understated and apparently ego-less manner, have created something which can challenge for that title.

Indeed. We can only commend the Uruguayan culture on its excellent taste for this sandwich; we can hardly wait to try it!

• Get the recipe: El Chivito at We Are Never Full

Have you ever tried a chivito?

Related: Tax Night Supper: The Spanglish Sandwich with Avocado

(Images: Amy and Jonny of We Are Never Full. Used by permission.)