Traditional foods of the provinces such as locro hark back to the pre-Columbian period, with a reliance on maize, beans and squashes (in many places, locro is traditionally consumed only on national patriotic holidays). Another traditional food is the empanada, a circular piece of pastry folded in two and around a filling (including chopped meat, olives, hard-boiled egg, potato cubes, raisins, ham and cheese, and many other variants), which can be baked or fried.

Italian staples like pizza and pasta are common. Many Argentines choose a simple pizza with tomato, cheese and ham, but many combinations are available. Pasta (in the local Spanish: pastas) is extremely common, either simple unadorned pasta with butter or oil, or accompanied by tomato or bechamel-based sauce.

Sweets, especially dulce de leche, are popular. Dulce de leche (a dark brown fluid paste, made from milk and sugar stirred at very high temperatures) is an essential ingredient of cakes, and shares the place of jelly and jam in breakfasts. It is used to top desserts and to fill alfajores and facturas (an alfajor consists of two round biscuits, often flavored, optionally coated with chocolate, joined by a layer of jelly; factura is the generic name for sweet baked pastry of different kinds, including but not limited to croissants and donuts).

Argentina is famous for its wine, most notably the red wine from the province of Mendoza, where weather conditions (dry, warm summers) are optimal. (Mendoza is in this respect similar to California in the United States.)

Literature

In terms of literature, Argentina's most famous authors are Jorge Luis Borges, considered one of the greatest 20th century writers of the world (he wrote poems, short stories and non-fiction essays), Adolfo Bioy Casares and Julio Cort¨¢zar. Bioy Casares wrote some books in collaboration with Borges. Cort¨¢zar was voluntarily exiled in Europe during the rule of Juan Domingo Per¨®n; Borges had problems with Peronism too, and saluted its fall in 1955 with joy, though he later became disillusioned with the military dictators. Both Borges and Cort¨¢zar died abroad: Borges in Geneva in 1986, and Cort¨¢zar in Paris in 1984.

Mafalda, a cartoon by Quino (Joaqu¨ªn Lavado), became a world-recognized Argentine icon soon after its publication. The series of comic strips shows the world's troubles through the eyes of a small girl, Mafalda, and her relatives and friends.

Spare time

Argentinians are commonly considered quite sociable and outgoing, and they view themselves this way too. A cultural survey found that the most important spare time activity for almost 80% of Argentinians is visiting friends and relatives. Playing team sports and attending sports venues is also quite common. For younger people, going out to dance is prevalent, while older ones prefer dining outside the home.

An example of sociability can be found during the annual celebration of Friend's Day on 20 July. This informal holiday originated in Argentina and in later years it has gained such popularity, especially among the young, that the entertainment centers of the cities (bars, discos, cinemas, etc.) become crowded until dawn of the following day, similarly to what happens at Christmas and New Year's Eve.

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