Taste and Essence from Córdoba

During our short stay, we distributed our time between the city the mountains and, in tasty conversations, we tried to decipher some interesting topics of the daily life of the denizens of Córdoba.

The answer depended on the origin of the person we talked to. Those living in the capital city feel and think differently from those dwelling in the rest of the territory. They share traditional customs like drinking fernet during gatherings with friends. They assert they are the biggest consumers of this beverage in the country.

At the city's bars, the locals ask for a '90210', which stands for 90% fernet, two ice cubes and 10% cola drink. In addition to fernet, those living in the valleys and the mountains also drink liqueurs they themselves prepare with yuyos (herbs), especially peperina, which they enjoy just as much.

Something similar happens with the music known as cuarteto. Popular, joyful and with a contagious rhythm, it has thousands of followers and invades the ballrooms and family celebrations in which everyone dances to the sound of Mona Jimenez or Rodrigo Bueno, especially on weekends.

In the inland valleys, people listen to cuarteto but also to local music. Each valley has an identity of its own and this may respond to the fact that some traits of the first nations are still preserved. Art is more present inland in the form of the music played by La Trova Cordobesa and other bands which, along with Juan Filloy's literature, rescue the roots.

'¡Che, vaga, no te meeetais con el choripan!' would stand for something like ' Hey, dude, do not mess with the sausage sandwich'. The man who said this made us laugh when we asked about this statement. It seems that the best choripanes are those prepared at the waterfront: a typical snack in Córdoba.

Another delicacy cooked on the charcoal is goat. The most appreciated come from Quilino, a district in the North of the province where a traditional festival is held every year. Exquisite choices like tenderloin sandwich are served at the restaurants called lomiterías and mate criollo accompanied by bread and homemade jams is usually served at some coffee stores.

Humor is a natural characteristic at this Mediterranean province. Its inhabitants are famous for the way they invent nicknames for people, certain public figures and they even laugh at themselves, always with a very particular kind of wit. Humorous monologs are presented everyday and Negro Álvarez, Chichilo Viale or Cacho Buenaventura are the greatest exponents.

Belgrano, Instituto, Talleres and Racing are the football clubs preferred by most dwellers of the province. However, we failed to agree on which of these clubs summons the largest number of cordobeses. Just like in the rest of the country, passion rules here.

'I'm gonna tell you... What joins all cordobeses is the pride for our accent which though different in the provincial valleys, identifies us all in the country and the world', said a friendly informer lingering on the vowel sounds and substituting 'u' for 'o'.