National Dish Uruguay: Chivito (Recipe)
In this article
Chivito means little goat, and there is no goat in it. The story is that in the 1940s a customer in Punta del Este asked for goat, the cook had none, and improvised with a beef sandwich. The name stuck.
About Chivito
It is thin-sliced beef fillet, ham, cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, olives and often a fried egg, in a bun. The Uruguayan version is closer to an argument than a sandwich.
Chivito al plato is the same components served on a plate with chips instead of bread.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 2 beef steaks (about 150 g each)
- 2 hamburger buns
- 2 slices of cheese (such as Gouda or Cheddar)
- 2 slices of ham
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 1/2 avocado, sliced
- Leafy salad of your choice
- 2 rashers bacon
- Mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, to taste
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
Shopping for the ingredients
Beef fillet sliced thin, around a centimetre, so it cooks in a minute. Mozzarella is the standard cheese in Uruguay. A soft bun, pan de chivito, not a crusty roll. Bacon or panceta.
Preparing the dish
Beat the steak thin if it is not already. Cook the bacon first and use the fat for the beef. Melt the cheese onto the steak in the pan rather than assembling it cold.
Step-by-step instructions
- Fry the bacon in a hot pan until crisp, then set aside.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and sear in the bacon fat for 1–2 minutes per side.
- Lay the cheese over the steaks in the final minute so it melts.
- Slice the buns and toast them cut-side down in the pan.
- Spread the bases with mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup.
- Stack the steak, ham, bacon, tomato, avocado and salad, then close the bun.
- Press down, cut in half and serve at once with chips.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Use a gluten-free bun, or serve it as chivito al plato with chips and no bread at all. For lactose-free, leave out the cheese, though it is a real loss.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
Uruguay is a beef country and this dish is the least adaptable thing on the menu. Vegetable patties and ensalada criolla are the meat-free options.
More tips and tricks
Slice the beef thin, because a thick steak makes the sandwich impossible to eat. Melt the cheese onto the meat in the pan. And press the assembled sandwich firmly before cutting, or it falls apart in the hand.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
A fried egg on top is standard. Chivito canadiense adds more of everything. Chivito al plato drops the bread and adds chips, salad and potato salad.
Ingredient substitutions
Sirloin or rump for fillet. Mozzarella, Gouda or Cheddar. Panceta or streaky bacon.
Drink pairing ideas
Uruguayan Tannat, the country’s signature red. Medio y medio, half sparkling wine and half white. Mate before and after, though never with food.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it cut in half with chips and a wedge of lemon, wrapped in paper if you are eating it in the hand. Uruguayan places serve it with so many chips that the sandwich is hidden.
A bit of history
Uruguay has more cattle than people, roughly four to one, and beef consumption per head is among the highest in the world. The chivito was invented at El Mejillón in Punta del Este around 1946 and spread nationally. It anchors Uruguayan cuisine alongside asado.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Chivito
Chivito is thin beef with ham, cheese, bacon and salad in a soft bun. Slice the beef thin, melt the cheese in the pan, and press it before you cut it.
