Food: Passport to Argentina at Central Market, May 12-25

Natalia Machado image via CentralMarket.com.

Argentina gained fame last year as the nesting ground of Governor Mark Sanford's illicit love affair. But there's more to the country than the lingering fragrance of a Republican romp. Argentina has tango. Soccer. World-class beef. And wine inspired by microclimates. This week, in honor of these more significant achievements, Central Market will begin hosting Passport to Argentina, a (literally) intoxicating 14-day lineup of cooking classes, wine tastings and free cultural events.

Culinary highlights include instruction from several prominent Argentine chefs. The empanada class with Patagonia-born New York restaurateur Natalia Machado already has a waiting list. But there's still room if you want to learn to grill "the Argentine way" with chef, author and TV host Francis Mallmann.

Another good bet is a class with Narda Lepes, a star on El Gourmet, the southern hemisphere's equivalent of the Food Network. She'll be making traditional Argentine dishes (tomatican, matambre arrollado) and explaining the rich history of each dish, region by region. There are also classes being taught by local staff on Argentina's desserts and national breads. (FYI, the cost of classes, which will be held mostly at Central Market's North Lamar location, range from $15-$85.)

In the beverage category, Passport to Argentina seeks to engage both those who like to imbibe, and also the teetotaling jet set -- there's an entire class devoted to yerba maté, a traditional "supertea" (it's got the round buzz of green tea with more vitamins and minerals).

But maté can't outshine the wine (in Austin, at least). There are a dozen free wine tastings at the Westgate and North Lamar locations of Central Market featuring wines of Argentina like: Ben Marco Malbec, Mapema Sauvignon, Chimango, and Mendel Semillon, among others.

If you are in the money, you might be interested in a casual winemaker dinner with Sebastien Zuccardi (of Zuccardi wines), which is selling quickly. Also of note is a Mendoza wine/food pairing event with chef Diego Coll Benegas.

Finally, you'll find a healthy bunch of cultural events built around Argentine films, crafts, dance, music, soccer - you name it. These are free, open to the public, and mostly going on at Central Market's Westgate location over the course of the next two weeks. Que barbaro!

For an official events calendar, please visit Central Market's website. Central Market North Lamar is located at 4001 N. Lamar Blvd. Central Market Westgate is located at 4477 S. Lamar Blvd.

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