Patagonia is the ultimate fantasy for any traveler. The magnificent mountains covered by eternal snow, the turquoise lakes formed by ancient icecaps, the remaining deep crystal glaciers, the end of the American continent is doubtlessly a fascinating place.
In the Argentinian part of Southern Patagonia, the national park of Los Glaciares has a massive power of attraction over international trekkers. The mountain village of El Chalten is the starting point of some of the most breathtaking hikes in the park. With its wooden cottages, the many hikers getting ready to step on the trails and the majestic mountains in the background, El Chalten has something magical of a traditional Swiss village.
With the Argentinian culture of worshipping meat, being vegan is something of a challenge, especially in such a small and remote village. Tamara Martinez resolved this problem when she opened her restaurant Cúrcuma three years ago. While she knew the local people of her village wouldn’t be supportive of a meat-free kitchen, she dared to be the owner of the first vegan restaurant in town!
She can’t deny the fact that the majority of her customers are of international origin but she happily welcomes some neighbors from time to time. While most of her clients come to Cúrcuma with the relief of having encountered a vegan restaurant, some of them step into her wooden cabin without knowing the won’t eat a steak tonight and leave her restaurant surprisingly happy by the voluptuous, rich and healthy meal they just had. Perhaps they thought veganism meant salad and grains, they now know about the exciting colors, savors, and textures that actually define the plant-based cuisine.
Tamara opened her restaurant with the intention to offer a health-focused choice to both the local inhabitants of El Chalten and the visitors stopping by. The cuisine served in Cúrcuma is not only 100% plant-based, but it is also a natural and conscious alimentation that she strives for. Those values are evident in the choices she made to only work with living food. This means that they avoid any tools which would diminish the benefits of the ingredients or any non-nutritious food such as refined sugar, industrial oils, etc. The cuisine is based on locally sourced products of the region as well as the few herbs they manage to grow in their backyard.
Their menu is small but beautifully composed with delicious desserts, delectable dishes, and refreshing juices and smoothies. They transformed the common comfort foods into rich and healthy vegan recipes such as the Dragon’s pizza with its vibrant buckwheat, rice and beetroot crust, nut cheese and salted veggies, the creamy coconut and pumpkin risotto garnished with spring onions and sautéed mushrooms or the aduki bean burger accompanied by brown rice, salted veggies, baked potatoes and its carrot dressing. Besides the gourmet options, some more reasonable choices might be the stuffed eggplant, loaded with quinoa and greens, the zucchini pasta and its tasty tomato sauce or the powerful salad overflowing with ingredients. The coconut and pumpkin soup is the perfect starter after a day trekking in the park and the picada, a plate of dehydrated crackers and many yummy dips, is what to order if you are too impatient to try their Cúrcuma’s delicacies.
Drinks and desserts are as interesting as the main courses. The citricius combines all the vitamins you need to start your day well and the chocolatoso is an equally delicious choice yet more heartening. Creative deserts make you come back, the good part is that after the tiring hikes of the National Park you have definitely deserved your treat! The truffles, muffins or nut bars are the perfect snacks for your day out in nature. But the copa dulce, the avocado and cacao mousse or the alfajores are the kind gestures you do to yourself after your day out.
Last but not least, the kind team of Cúrcuma has organized a Lunch Box for the sportive ones that wander in the mountains all day long. Pick up your brown paper bag in the morning and savor a rich wrap of crunchy veggies, avocado, and tasty hummus and some homemade snacks, fruits, and muffins in the most spectacular landscapes of South America. This is a vegan dream came true. Let’s say thank you Cúrcuma!
About the author: Marie Dykmans is a Belgian food blogger currently travelling the world. Her passion for health and food has lead her to discover some of the best vegan kitchens across the world. She is passionate about cuisine but also about yoga, meditation and believes in a conscious way of consuming. Follow her culinary and travelling adventures on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/choupetamarie/ or on her food blog: www.choupetamarie.com
The author of this article was invited to come visit the restaurant featured in the above write up. However, the opinions expressed in this write up are solely those of the author, and not of HappyCow or Curcuma.
