A Journey Into Gran Chaco's El Impenetrable

One isolated community in the Argentinian forest and their resourceful cuisine.

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July 21, 2022

My Journey Into Gran Chaco's El Impenetrable

The city of Juan José Castelli sits on the southern end of the Gran Chaco, a sprawling dry forest that spreads across Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. It serves as the entryway to El Impenetrable, a section of the forest that's home to an isolated community known as Chaqueños whose cuisine is intimately connected to the land's bounty and scarcity. There, nothing goes to waste—one goat, for example, can feed an entire family of eight: the shanks are stewed and served with starchy rice and potatoes; the central rack is butterflied and grilled until the skin turns golden and crisp; the tenderloin is cut into cubes and pan-fried before being stuffed into lard-injected empanada discs; the skins are baked in the heat of the sun and function as protection against thorns when searching for livestock. Writer Kevin Vaughn shares his journey into the Argentinian forest and with Chaqueño cuisine. Read the full story

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