From time to time I'll post a little about the local culture (broadly defined) of Punta del Este, to explain some of what one will see and hear on a visit. What better place to start than the unofficial "national dish" of Uruguay, the "chivito," which was invented in Punta del Este. This is, essentially, a steak sandwich, and is omni-present on restaurant menus throughout Uruguay and the star of an entire assembly-line operation near the port of Punta del Este called Chiveteria Marcos.
Behind every classic dish lies a legend about its invention, and the chivito is no different. In this case, the legend may actually be true, as it appears in virtually the same form in all the books on Punta del Este history that I've seen, as well as in various Montevideo and Buenos Aires newspaper articles over the years. El Mejillon Bar was a 24-hour bar located right at the beginning of the peninsula, opened in 1945 and for decades the most popular meeting place in the entire area. One day in 1947 or 1948 (the accounts vary) a client stopped by on his way back to Buenos Aires at the end of the season and requested something "fast" to eat, preferably something with the meat of young goat, or "chivito" in colloquial Spanish. The proprietor was temporarily out of goat meat, but desiring to please, whipped up a substitute on the spot: a bun toasted in butter, and inside a slice of steak half the thickness of finger, a much thinner slice of ham, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. The client was enchanted with this different type of "chivito," as he and the proprietor jokingly called it, and spread the word among all his friends in Buenos Aires. The next season the sandwich became such a hit that El Mejillon was selling over 1000 "chivitos" per day.
Every classic dish gets modified by would-be improvers, and in this the chivito also is no different. Today, most restaurants serve at least two variations, the "classic" chivito and the "Canadiense." The "classic" chivito will actually vary from place to place, as many add cheese or sliced boiled egg or some other ingredient to the original simplicity of steak, ham, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. The "Canadiense" can approach the dimensions of a "Dagwood Bumstead" concoction, with bacon, olives, cooked red peppers, sliced chicken and many other ingredients added to the classic ones. (I have no idea why it's called the "Canadiense.") A few menus include several other variations with creative names. Most places also will serve a "chivito al plato" or "Canadiense al plato," which are the ingredients without the bun, usually with a bit more salad-type ingredients added. Both the sandwich and the "al plato" version can be accompanied by french fries or chips.
The chivito can be either one of the best foods you've ever eaten, or a disappointment; it all depends on whether the restaurant uses the best cut of steak and fresh ingredients and takes the preparation seriously, or instead just views the dish as "fast food" and throws it together.
By the way, the bun on which a chivito is served also bears an animal name: it's called a "tortuga," which means "turtle."
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