In an earlier post I discussed the "chivito," the national sandwich of Uruguay. Here I'll talk about another food that's ubiquitous in Punta del Este, although it is usually associated more with Argentina. By the way, there's nothing unusual about an Argentinean food being found all over Punta del Este; after all, the history of Uruguay's founding supports the oft-stated concept that Uruguayans and Argentineans are "brothers separated at birth." Moreover, historically most vacationers in Punta del Este have been from Buenos Aires, although that is changing.
The food for today is "salsa golf," which any upstanding denizen of Punta del Este will aways order to accompany his or her appetizer of grilled or lightly fried seafood. What is it? Well, the recipe has been a closely guarded secret until now, but I'll blow the lid -- it's ketchup and mayonnaise, mixed together. Some people will contend that there must also be lemon juice, but that's just an effort to make the recipe more "refined" than it really is. Mix ketchup and mayonnaise and you have salsa golf. Or buy it already "prepared" in any grocery store in Punta del Este.
Why does this simple mixture even have a name? Ah, because there's a story behind the mixture. An Argentinean named Luis Federico Leloir won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1970. Leloir was also a golfer who summered, not in Punta del Este but in the Argentinean beach resort town of Mar del Plata. People say he was addicted to the fried seafood at his golf club in Mar del Plata and would while away the time nibbling and reading and chatting in the clubhouse before or after a round of golf. One day in the early 1970s, he asked the kitchen at the club to bring to the table all of their sauces, as he was looking for something new to try with his usual snack. He proceeded to spend hours trying out various mixtures, until he finally hit on just the right combination of, yes, ketchup and mayonnaise to make the perfect sauce. Others tried and liked it and took the "recipe" back to Buenos Aires for the winter, and soon "salsa golf" was being manufactured commercially.
Although Leloir developed salsa golf to accompany seafood, and it is still the preferred condiment for grilled or fried seafood, it has actually become identified even more with a different dish: fresh hearts of palm. I defy anyone to eat hearts of palm with salsa golf once, and thereafter eat hearts of palm without salsa golf ever again. There's just something about the combination that is irresistible.
The food for today is "salsa golf," which any upstanding denizen of Punta del Este will aways order to accompany his or her appetizer of grilled or lightly fried seafood. What is it? Well, the recipe has been a closely guarded secret until now, but I'll blow the lid -- it's ketchup and mayonnaise, mixed together. Some people will contend that there must also be lemon juice, but that's just an effort to make the recipe more "refined" than it really is. Mix ketchup and mayonnaise and you have salsa golf. Or buy it already "prepared" in any grocery store in Punta del Este.
Why does this simple mixture even have a name? Ah, because there's a story behind the mixture. An Argentinean named Luis Federico Leloir won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1970. Leloir was also a golfer who summered, not in Punta del Este but in the Argentinean beach resort town of Mar del Plata. People say he was addicted to the fried seafood at his golf club in Mar del Plata and would while away the time nibbling and reading and chatting in the clubhouse before or after a round of golf. One day in the early 1970s, he asked the kitchen at the club to bring to the table all of their sauces, as he was looking for something new to try with his usual snack. He proceeded to spend hours trying out various mixtures, until he finally hit on just the right combination of, yes, ketchup and mayonnaise to make the perfect sauce. Others tried and liked it and took the "recipe" back to Buenos Aires for the winter, and soon "salsa golf" was being manufactured commercially.
Although Leloir developed salsa golf to accompany seafood, and it is still the preferred condiment for grilled or fried seafood, it has actually become identified even more with a different dish: fresh hearts of palm. I defy anyone to eat hearts of palm with salsa golf once, and thereafter eat hearts of palm without salsa golf ever again. There's just something about the combination that is irresistible.
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