Asado and mate in Spanish: the cuts, the grill, the asador and the mate round in Argentina and Uruguay
In Argentina and Uruguay, friends invite you to an asado, a long meal of meat cooked slowly over embers, and offer you mate, the shared drink passed from hand to hand. This page has the words for the fire, the cuts and the doneness, what to bring and say at an asado, and how the mate round works, with vos forms throughout, because that is how you will be spoken to.
The asado
El asado is three things at once: the meal, the social event, and a specific cut of ribs. ¿Venís al asado el domingo? is an invitation to the event. Pasame un pedazo de asado is about the ribs.
| You want | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| the grill | la parrilla | Also the name of a steak restaurant: vamos a una parrilla |
| the person cooking | el asador / la asadora | At a restaurant, the grill cook is el parrillero |
| the covered barbecue area | el quincho | A roofed space with a built-in grill, in houses and clubs |
| the built-in grill | la parrilla / el parrillero (Uruguay) | |
| firewood | la leña | |
| charcoal | el carbón | |
| the embers | las brasas | The meat cooks over embers, not flames |
| to light the fire | prender el fuego | |
| coarse salt | la sal gruesa / la sal parrillera | The usual seasoning, often the only one |
| the board it is served on | la tabla | |
| the grill fork, tongs | el tenedor, la pinza |
The fire is slow. An asado for lunch often starts with lighting the fire late in the morning, and the meat comes off in stages over two or three hours. Nobody expects it to be quick, though you will still hear ¿falta mucho?, how much longer?
The cuts
Visitors get lost here. The names do not match English butchery, and bife de chorizo is a steak.
| Spanish | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| tira de asado / asado de tira | Beef short ribs cut across the bone in a long strip | The classic |
| vacío | Flank | Crisp outside, juicy inside, cooked slowly |
| matambre | A thin cut between the hide and the ribs | Also rolled and stuffed; matambre a la pizza is topped with tomato and cheese |
| entraña | Skirt steak | Thin, quick, much loved |
| bife de chorizo | Sirloin, strip steak | No sausage involved |
| ojo de bife | Ribeye | |
| cuadril | Rump | |
| colita de cuadril | Tri-tip, the tail of the rump | |
| lomo | Tenderloin | |
| chorizo | Pork sausage | Usually the first thing off the grill |
| morcilla | Blood sausage | |
| choripán | Chorizo in bread | The street and stadium version |
| provoleta | Grilled provolone cheese | Served with oregano and chilli |
| pollo | Chicken | Common at family asados |
| cerdo | Pork | bondiola (pork neck), matambrito de cerdo |
Achuras are the offal, and a full asado includes them.
| Spanish | What it is |
|---|---|
| mollejas | Sweetbreads |
| chinchulines | Small intestines, grilled crisp |
| riñones | Kidneys |
The order is predictable. Chorizo and morcilla first, often as choripán while people stand around the grill. Achuras and provoleta next. Then the big cuts, tira, vacío, entraña, and then more, until someone says stop.
How you want it
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| rare | jugoso | Literally “juicy”. This is the word, not crudo |
| medium | a punto | |
| well done | cocido / bien cocido | |
| a little pink | un poquito jugoso | |
| crispy | crocante / bien doradito | Crocante in Argentina and Uruguay |
| I’d like a piece of vacío | ¿Me das un pedacito de vacío? | Vos form |
| Just a little | Poquito, por favor. | |
| Any more entraña? | ¿Queda entraña? | |
| Something without fat | Algo sin grasa. |
Jugoso is how Argentines ask for rare or medium-rare. Crudo means raw and sounds like a complaint.
The sides and the sauces
| Spanish | What it is |
|---|---|
| chimichurri | Parsley, garlic, oregano, chilli, oil and vinegar. Everyone’s family has a version |
| salsa criolla | Chopped onion, tomato and pepper in vinegar and oil |
| ensalada mixta | Lettuce, tomato and onion, the default salad |
| papas | Potatoes, often baked in the embers |
| pan | Bread, always |
| verduras a la parrilla | Grilled vegetables |
What to bring and what to say
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| What can I bring? | ¿Qué llevo? | Ask; the answer is usually drinks or dessert |
| I’ll bring the wine | Llevo el vino. | |
| I’ll bring ice cream | Llevo helado. | Ice cream is a common dessert to bring |
| Shall we chip in? | ¿Hacemos una vaquita? | La vaquita is pooling money for the meat |
| How much do I owe for the meat? | ¿Cuánto es por cabeza? | Per head |
| Can I help with anything? | ¿Te ayudo en algo? | |
| It smells amazing, it looks great | ¡Qué olor! / Tiene una pinta bárbara. | Pinta is how something looks |
| This is incredible | Está buenísimo. / Está espectacular. | |
| The meat is perfect | La carne está en su punto. | |
| I’m full | Estoy lleno / llena. / No puedo más. | |
| Thanks for having me | Gracias por invitarme. |
Applause for the asador. When the meat has been served, someone calls ¡un aplauso para el asador! and the table claps. Join in.
Leave the grill alone. The asador controls the fire, the timing and the cuts. Offering help is polite; turning meat or moving coals without being asked is not. Standing near the grill with a drink and talking to the asador is normal and welcome.
Before the meat there is usually a picada, a board of salami, cheese and olives, with drinks. Fernet con Coca, Italian bitters with cola, is closely associated with Argentina, and with Córdoba most of all. Red wine, usually un Malbec, and beer are the rest.
Sunday is asado day. The long Sunday lunch at a family house or a club quincho is the standard. Midweek asados happen among friends in the evening, and dinner at ten is ordinary.
Uruguay
Uruguayans have the asado too, with their own twists. The grill is la parrilla or el parrillero, and many restaurants are simply called parrillas. The Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo is a market hall full of them.
| Spanish | What it is |
|---|---|
| pamplona | Meat rolled around a stuffing and grilled |
| morcilla dulce | Sweet blood sausage, often with orange peel, raisins or nuts |
| chivito | Uruguay’s steak sandwich, piled with ham, cheese, egg and more |
| medio y medio | Half sparkling wine, half white wine, a Montevideo drink |
Uruguayans use the vos verb forms too, ¿querés?, ¿venís?, and in Montevideo often with the pronoun tú: tú querés.
Mate
El mate is the drink and the gourd it is drunk from. It is shared among friends, colleagues and strangers, and the round has rules.
| You want | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| the gourd | el mate | Also la calabaza when made of gourd |
| the leaf | la yerba / la yerba mate | Sold in half-kilo and kilo packs |
| the metal straw | la bombilla | Has a filter at the bottom |
| the flask | el termo | For hot water |
| the kettle | la pava | In Argentina; la caldera in Uruguay |
| to prepare and serve | cebar | |
| the person serving | el cebador / la cebadora | |
| bitter | amargo | Without sugar; the usual way |
| sweet | dulce | With sugar or sweetener |
| washed out | lavado | When the yerba has lost its flavour |
| mate made with a teabag | mate cocido | Common at breakfast |
How the round works
- One person serves. The cebador fills the gourd with yerba, adds water and drinks the first one or two, which are the strongest and the bitterest.
- The cebador refills and hands the mate to one person. That person drinks all of it, until the straw makes a gurgling sound.
- You hand it back to the cebador, not to the next person. The cebador refills it and passes it on.
- The round continues in order, one gourd, one straw, everyone.
- When you don’t want any more, say “gracias”. In a mate round, gracias means “no more for me”. Say it only when you are done.
The rules people care about:
- Don’t move the bombilla. Stirring or lifting it clogs the filter and ruins the mate. The cebador sets it once.
- Don’t take too long. Holding the mate while you tell a story is teased: ¡no es un micrófono! it’s not a microphone.
- The water should be hot but not boiling. Boiling water burns the yerba. Se quemó la yerba is the complaint.
- Drink it all. Handing back a half-full mate is odd.
- It’s shared. Wiping the straw before you drink is noticed and can seem rude among friends.
What you will hear
| You will hear | It means |
|---|---|
| ¿Querés un mate? | Would you like a mate? |
| ¿Lo tomás amargo o dulce? | Do you take it bitter or sweet? |
| ¿Quién ceba? | Who’s serving? |
| Te toca. | Your turn |
| Está lavado. | It’s washed out |
| Cambiá la yerba. | Change the yerba |
| Pasame el termo. | Pass me the flask |
| ¿Seguís? | Do you want more? Are you still in? |
| Che, ¿te dormiste con el mate? | Hey, did you fall asleep with the mate? A friendly hurry-up |
| Tomá. | Here, take it |
Mate is everywhere in Uruguay, and the flask under the arm on the street is a common sight in Montevideo, more so than in Buenos Aires. Offices, buses, parks and beaches all have their rounds.
Paraguayans drink tereré, the cold version made with iced water or juice, as their everyday drink. In southern Chile mate is also common.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- ¿Qué llevo al asado? What should I bring to the asado?
- Llevo el vino y el helado. I’ll bring the wine and the ice cream.
- ¿Hacemos una vaquita para la carne? Shall we chip in for the meat?
- Para mí, jugoso, por favor. Rare for me, please.
- ¿Me das un pedacito de vacío? Can I have a bit of flank?
- ¡Un aplauso para el asador! A round of applause for the asador!
- No puedo más, estaba todo buenísimo. I can’t eat any more, it was all delicious.
- Sí, un mate amargo, dale. Yes, a bitter mate, go on.
- Gracias, estoy bien. Thanks, I’m fine. (In a mate round, this means no more)
- Está lavado, ¿cambiamos la yerba? It’s washed out, shall we change the yerba?
Questions people ask
What does “bife de chorizo” mean? Sirloin or strip steak. It has nothing to do with chorizo sausage.
How do you say “rare” in Argentina? Jugoso. A punto is medium and cocido is well done.
What is “vacío”? Flank, one of the favourite asado cuts, cooked slowly until the outside is crisp.
Why do people clap at an asado? To thank the asador. Un aplauso para el asador is a fixed tradition in Argentina and Uruguay.
What does “gracias” mean in a mate round? No more for me. If you want another, hand the mate back without saying it.
Is it rude to refuse mate? No. Say no, gracias the first time it is offered. Accepting once, if you can, is a friendly gesture.
What is the difference between mate and tereré? Mate is drunk hot. Tereré, the Paraguayan way, is drunk cold with iced water or juice.
What is a quincho? A covered area with a built-in grill, at a house, a building or a club, where asados are held.
Practise these words
asado, carne, fuego, sal, pan, bombilla, amargo, dulce, llevar, tocar, aplauso, parrilla, yerba. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.