Garlic, parsley and pepper are three basic ingredients of chimichurri
Chimichurri is a typical dressing from some South American regions that is made with parsley , garlic , salt , ground chili , vinegar and oil . This sauce, which is usually used on meats and sausages, is very popular among Argentines and Uruguayans.
Vinegar, oil and seasonings
The chimichurri base is liquid thanks to the inclusion of vinegar and oil . In the sauce you can also perceive the different condiments , which are hydrated by remaining in the emulsion . In fact, it is common to marinate chimichurri for at least a day before using it.
Originally, chimichurri was prepared in brine , although later vinegar began to be used. Among the ingredients that may also appear in this dressing are pepper , oregano , bay leaf and thyme .
How is it prepared
To prepare it, the first thing you do is grind the spices in a mortar . Once this is done, the ingredients are placed in the vinegar and oil emulsion and mixed. Finally, it is time to marinate the chimichurri, although this step is not essential. Another ingredient that not everyone uses but that usually appears in some chimichurri recipes is lemon juice ; Although it is preferred fresh, it can also be purchased previously squeezed.
Since it is a dressing typical of popular cuisine, there are an infinite number of variations, some with a certain "official" character (many people from the same region tend to respect it) and others that appear spontaneously, sometimes due to lack of knowledge. of ingredients or time. We must not leave aside creativity, which plays a very important role in renewing gastronomy : people who are born with a special talent for cooking often give twists to traditional recipes.
History of chimichurri
It is interesting to mention that the origins of chimichurri are unknown. One version indicates that, in Argentina , the British who had been imprisoned after the English Invasions had the habit of requesting curry while eating to season the lamb meat in a more normal way for them. Chimichurri, therefore, would come from the English expression "give me curry" , which could be translated as "give me/give me curry".
There are even those who maintain that the creator of chimichurri was an Irishman named James McCurry , who after his arrival in South America looked for a way to reproduce Worcestershire sauce with the ingredients he had at his disposal. Given that one of the diminutives of his name is Jimmy , it is likely that Jimmy Curry remained in Spanish, even losing the first part of his surname. Needless to say, the veracity of this theory is very difficult to verify.
Some chimichurri recipes include lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce , which is also known as Worcester , Perrins or simply English , is prepared with vinegar, corn syrup, molasses, pepper, water, anchovies, tamarind, soy sauce, onion, garlic, cloves and shallot (a vegetable from central Asia). Optionally you can also include wine in the recipe. Its use is intended for both raw and cooked dishes, to enhance its flavor; The English usually use it to accompany beef.
Another theory (the one that is accepted as the most probable) indicates that chimichurri comes from tximitxurri , a Basque word that would refer to a mixture similar to chimichurri, which is made with parsley, garlic, red chili, aromatic herbs, rosemary, thyme. and cayenne pepper. It is worth mentioning that we do not find this term in any current Basque dictionary. There is another term of Basque origin, zurriburri , which can be translated as "rumor", and which in our language has the equivalents zurriburri and chirriburri , which refer to a "confusion".