Type | Sandwich |
---|---|
Place of origin | Rio de la Plata region (Argentina) |
Main ingredients | Crusty bread (marraqueta or baguette), chorizo |
Choripán (plural: choripanes) is a type of sandwich with chorizo popular in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and southern Brazil. The name comes from the combination of the names of its ingredients: a grilled chorizo (sausage) and a pan (crusty bread) such as a marraqueta or baguette.
The Argentine choripán consists of a sausage made out of beef and pork, hot off the grill, split down the middle, and served on a roll. The chorizo may be used whole or cut in half lengthwise, in which case it is called a mariposa (butterfly). It is customary to add sauces on the bread, most likely chimichurri.
Choripanes are commonly served as an appetizer during the preparation of an asado, but they are also very commonly sold at sport venues (particularly football games) and on the sides of roads and streets in major cities in Argentina. Taxi cab drivers in Buenos Aires are avid consumers and some street sellers can gather a long line of cabs during lunch time and afternoons when drivers get their lunch break.
There are several Brazilian versions of choripán, the one most resembling the Argentinian version is called salchipão, and made, in southern Brazil, with "French bread" (a Brazilian-style baguette-like small roll) and pork sausage. It is often served as an appetizer during the preparation of a churrasco, or even as a substitute for barbecues, because salchipães are much cheaper, easier and quicker to make - so, they can be prepared on a short notice. Elsewhere in the country, there are many variations on the popular sanduíche de linguiça (literally "sausage sandwich"), most also made with Pão francês (lit. "French bread", a Brazilian baguette-like small roll) and pork sausage, but other breads and sausages can also be found. Possible additions to the basic recipe include melted cheese, requeijão, sautéed onions, vinaigrette sauce, shoestring potatoes, mustard, hot sauce and many others. It is usually served as a casual meal, perhaps with a cold beer, very popularly on road-side dinners.