What to buy in Buenos Aires province towns

La Plata artichokes

More than 80% of Argentina’s artichokes; geographic indication and a long-running artichoke festival.

La Plata tomatoes

Main tomato belt of the country; La Plata tomato festival.

Imperialitos

Local layered dessert sold since 1972.

Havanna alfajores

Brand founded here in 1947–48; the classic tourist take-home.

Pullovers not food

National capital of the pullover; knitwear shops along Juan B. Justo Avenue.

Fish and seafood

Port city with a national fishermen’s festival (fried squid, silversides, fish empanadas).

Antares beer

Craft brewery founded here in 1998.

Mar del Plata medialuna

Sweet croissant style associated with the city.

Manolo churros

Churro shop since 1930.

Cubanitos

Chocolate-coated wafer with dulce de leche; local icon with a cubanito festival.

Flowers and ornamental plants not food

Belén de Escobar is the national capital of the flower (1964); national flower festival; nurseries sell orchids and indoor plants.

Tandil salami

First Argentine food denomination of origin (2011).

Banquete / Tandil cheese

Semi-hard cheese created in 1937; listed in the Argentine Food Code.

Tandil wine

Geographic indication, 2024.

Tandil charcuterie board

The salami-and-cheese board is the town’s gastronomic calling card.

Pecans

Provincial pecan capital; pecan festival.

Lucca crustless sandwiches

Bakery often cited as Argentina’s oldest; famous for crustless sandwiches.

Coast wine

Artisan Isabella-grape wine; national wine institute “regional wine” (2013); provincial coast wine festival.

Silverside

National silverside festival; Gómez, El Carpincho, and Mar Chiquita lagoons.

Artisan cold cuts

Agustín Roca (same district) hosts the national artisan cold-cuts festival.

Mozzarella

Cluster of local dairies and the provincial mozzarella festival.

Coastal alfajores

Alfajor district and provincial coastal alfajor festival; Ninet and Fratimar are based in Mar del Tuyú.

Quintero salami

Artisan salami (pork/beef); national festival since 1975.

Peaches

National peach festival since 1966.

Mercedes country biscuit

Served with the salami; Tomás Jofré is the weekend food circuit.

Honey

National honey festival and ExpoMiel, the largest beekeeping fair in Latin America.

Black truffle

Cultivated in Chillar, same district.

Dry-cured ham

Promotes itself as the national capital of Argentine dry-cured ham; ham route and national ham festival.

Navel oranges

“City of oranges”; provincial navel-orange festival.

Peaches

Leads Buenos Aires fruit production; provincial peach festival in Gobernador Castro.

Potatoes

Leading potato area of the southeast; often called the national potato capital.

Balcarce cake

Created in 1950 at París pastry shop; national dessert festival.

Silverside

Provincial silverside capital; lagoon restaurants and the hydrobiology station since 1904.

Dry chorizo

Comodoro Py in the same district is the national dry-chorizo capital.

Chamomile

National chamomile capital; national chamomile festival.

Navel oranges

Part of the San Pedro–Ramallo–Baradero citrus belt.

Pecans

Growing local crop with gourmet/export sales.

Organic kiwi

Southeast Buenos Aires kiwi belt (Ecco Kiwi); geographic identification and a municipal kiwi festival.

Fried green ravioli

Provincial “identity dish” tied to the town.

Cheeses

Local dairy basin with a cheese expo and a cheese style sold as Lincoln.

Strudel

Provincial strudel festival in Colonia Santa María (100 m apple strudel).

Volga German sausages and sauerkraut

Slaughter and parish festivals in Santa María, San José, and Santa Trinidad.

Hearth-baked biscuit

Baked on the oven floor since 1912 (La Estrella bakery); gold medal in Milan 1918; annual festival.

Argentine cake

Layered cake from the late 19th century; national intangible cultural heritage (2018); Argentine cake festival.

Maragato stew

Stew brought by 18th-century settlers from Maragatería (León); still served locally.

Patagonian lamb

The district is inside the Patagonian lamb geographic indication.