Why do we eat so much meat in Uruguay? | Por qué comemos tanta carne en Uruguay?

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ENGLISH

As I mentioned in one of my latest posts, meat consumption in Uruguay is among the highest in the world in relation to its population. The numbers do not lie and they reveal an extremely carnivorous society, that I think is not aware of being so. Being raised in this way (carnivores), for us it is common and we do not question ourselves much about it.

In Uruguay and throughout 2015, 99 kilos of meats were consumed per inhabitant. That equals 270 grams per person per day. There is no doubt that meat is in our diet, with almost daily consumption. I wonder why it is that we eat so much meat? Undoubtedly the geographical aspect has a lot to do, we are flat a country full of plains, with pastures of excellent quality due to the great fertility of the land. And if we combine flat lands with good soils and good grass, we get the perfect combination for the growth of the agricultural industry.

Historically, our economy has been based on the export of meats. A clear example is the Corned Beef that was produced in the Anglo Frigorifico in the city of Fray Bentos in the west of the country. Since the beginning of 1900 millions of cans were exported to the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. During the two world wars, Uruguay was called "the kitchen of the world" because it supplied allied soldiers with our famous canned meats. Currently approximately 250,000 tons of meat are exported per year, with China being the main buyer (40%, which means 100,000 tons per year).

History has made us one of the great suppliers of meat in the world, and if so much meat is produced in our country ... I am not surprised that consumption is high too. When I catch up with my friends to eat something, it is almost always something with meat, except when we eat pizza (although it can be topped with bacon or pepperoni). Something very common, simple to make and at the same time very tasty is a chorizo ​​sausage. The famous Choripan is everywhere, it is a classic pick for street food and the perfect excuse to meet with friends: eat some good chorizo. Choripan stands for Chorizo + Pan, so Chorizo + Bread. It is basically a chorizo sandwich that is usually served with pesto or chimichurri.

Thats what we did last weekend, my brother and several friends came to my house to eat Choripan, have a few beers and spend the afternoon together. To light the fire, the smell of the smoke, the noise of burning wood ... everything is part of the ritual. Food is the excuse, the reason is to meet and spend valuable time together. It should be noted that having traveled a lot, I never tried chorizos as good as the ones we have here in Uruguay. The quality of our products is truly exceptional.

Well, I leave a few photos of what was a Sunday with friends, good food and good weather. Cheers everyone! And thanks for the support! By the was: I took all pictures, some with my IPhone 6SE and others with a Nikon D5100 (50mm F1.8g)

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ESPAÑOL

Como ya mencioné en uno de mis últimos posts, el consumo de carnes en Uruguay es de los más altos del mundo en relación a su población. Los números no mienten y dejan al descubierto una sociedad extremadamente carnívora, pero que no es consciente de serlo. Al ser criados de ésta manera (carnívoros), para nosotros es lo común y no nos cuestionamos mucho al respecto.

En el año 2015, en Uruguay se consumieron 99 kilos de carnes por habitante. Eso equivale a 270 gramos diarios por persona. No caben dudas de que la carne esta en nuestra dieta, con un consumo casi diario. Me pregunto por qué es que comemos tanta carne? Sin dudas el aspecto geográfico tiene mucho que ver, somos un país de y llanuras y penillanuras, con pasturas de excelente calidad, debido a la gran fertilidad de la tierra. Y si combinamos tierras planas con buenos suelos y buen pasto, logramos la combinación perfecta para el crecimiento de la industria agropecuaria.

Históricamente nuestra economía ha estado basada en la exportación de carnes. Un claro ejemplo es el Corned Beef que se producía en el Frigorífico Anglo de la ciudad de Fray Bentos al oeste del país. Desde comienzos de 1900 se exportaron millones de latas al Reino Unido y demás partes de Europa. Durante las dos guerras mundiales, a Uruguay se lo llamaba "la cocina del mundo" ya que abastecía a soldados aliados con sus famosas carnes enlatadas. Actualmente se exportan aproximadamente unas 250.000 toneladas de carne al año, siendo China el principal comprador (40% lo que significan 100.000 toneladas anuales)

La historia nos ha hecho uno de los grandes abastecedores de carnes del mundo, y si se produce tanta carne en nuestro país... no me asombra que el consumo sea elevado también. Cuando me junto con mis amigos a comer algo, casi siempre es algo con carne, a excepción de cuando comemos pizza (aunque ésta puede ser servida con panzeta o pepperoni). Algo muy común, simple de hacer y que a la vez es muy rico son unos chorizos a las brasas. El famoso Choripan está en todos lados, es un clásico de la comida callejera y la excusa perfecta para juntarse con los amigos: comer unos buenos choris.

Así fue que el fin de semana pasado, vinieron a casa mi hermano y varios amigos a comer unos chorizos al pan, tomar unas cervezas y pasar la tarde juntos. Prender el fuego, el olor a humo, el ruido de la leña quemándose... todo es parte del ritual. La comida es la excusa, el motivo es encontrarse y pasar un rato juntos. Cabe aclarar que habiendo viajado bastante, nunca probé chorizos tan buenos como los que tenemos acá en Uruguay. La calidad de nuestros productos es realmente excepcional.

Bueno, dejo unas cuantas fotos de lo que fue un domingo con amigos, buena comida y buen clima. Saludos y muchas gracias por el apoyo! Las fotos fueron sacadas por mi, algunas con mi IPhone 6SE y otras con una Nikon D5100 (50mm F1.8g)

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My brother Martín.

The famous Choripan

Summer is coming ant the gardens are looking amazing! Take a look...

Last but not least, since it was nice and sunny I decided to get the water blaster out and give the whole patio a well needed cleanup. 😊