Cuisine glows with wood, fire

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Flames glow, smoke billows and the aroma of slowly burning logs blends with the flavors of lightly charred calamari with broccoli and aioli cooked inside a handmade wood-fired oven.

Like other dishes at Proper restaurant, essential ingredients for this house favorite are timber and fire. Proper was recently named in the Latin American edition of the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants list, part of Argentina's growing international recognition for creative cooking.

The sacred Argentine asado, or barbecue, brings together families and friends, regardless of social class, and is a source of national pride. While grilling in other countries involves gas or store-bought charcoal, the Argentine way is often more primal - just wood, flames and meat.

"Fire is a very strong part of Argentina's identity," said Augusto Mayer, who launched Proper last year. "We have a bunch of ways of cooking with wood and we're harnessing the potential of this type."

Diners stand in long lines every night outside the restaurant in the trendy Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, attracted by the scent of the vegetable-centric dishes.

From a haricot bean puree with almonds and pumpkinseed mole to celery with kefir cream, green apples and pecans. The owners take pride in their sourdough bread served with homemade butter and anchovies from the coastal city of Mar del Plata.

"Argentine cooking is going through a very important moment," said Nico Visne, a local food critic. "It's based in our gaucho (cowboy), indigenous and immigrant cooking - and there's this return to the real flavors and the fire."

Associated Press