Fulbright‐HaysCurriculumProject:Argentina,2011
FoodTraditionandCultureinArgentina
JakeSproull,ChineseAmericanInternationalSchool,SanFrancisco,CA
GradeLevelandSubjectArea:MiddleSchoolSocialStudies
SocialStudiesTopicAreas:Geography&Topography;Environmental
Studies;FoodTraditions&Culture
UnitSummary
Thisisaone–twoweekunit(5lessons)forgrade6.Itcaneasilybeincluded
withinalargerunitaboutfoodtraditionsaroundtheworld,orintroducedasa
partofalargerunitonSouthAmerica.Inthisseriesoflessons,studentswill
firstlearnaboutthetopographyofArgentinaandtherolethelandhasplayed
inthehistoryofthecountryanditsagriculturalindustry.Next,studentswill
seehowtheagriculturalandlivestockindustryisreflectedintheArgentine
nationalhistoryanddiet.Inthethirdsegmentoftheunit,studentswilllearn
abouttwoculturalelementsthatareuniquetoArgentina’slandscape,history,
anddiet(thegauchoandyerbamate).Finally,studentswillcompareatypical
Argentinediettotheirowndiets,inordertohighlightsomeofthedifferences
foundinArgentinecuisine.
EssentialQuestions:
1. Howaregeographyandlandscapeconnectedtoculture?
2. HowisArgentineculturedifferentfrom/similartothecultureofthe
USA?
3. HowdodifferencesindietreflectthenationalculturesofArgentinaand
theUSA?
UnitGoals
1. StudentswillgainanunderstandingofArgentina’sbasicgeography,
interactwithatopographicalmap,andlearntheterminologyto
describethedifferentlandscapesofArgentina.
2. Studentswillexploretherelationshipoftopography,agriculture,diet,
andculture.
3. Studentswilllearnabouttheimportanceoflivestockinthehistoryof
Argentina,andalsounderstandsomeoftheenvironmentalchallenges
thatarearesultofthisindustry.
4. StudentswillbeintroducedtothehistoryofArgentinabylearning
aboutseveralculturalelementsrelatedtofoodanddiet(thebeef
industry,thegaucho,andyerbamate).
5. Studentswillexploreculturaldifferencesbycomparingtheirowndiets
toatypicalArgentinediet.
LessonSummary
Lesson1:GeographyofArgentina
 StudentswilllearnaboutthegeographyofArgentinabyeithercolor
codinginanoutlinemapofthecountry(quicklesson)orcreatinga3‐D
mapoutofclay(longerlesson).
Lesson2:AgricultureinArgentina
 StudentswilllearnaboutagriculturalproductioninArgentina,
particularlytheriseofthecattleindustryanditsimportanceto
Argentinehistoryandeconomy.
Lesson3:ElGaucho
 StudentswilllearnaboutthehistoryofthegauchoinArgentinaandits
relationshiptoagricultureandthecattleindustry.
Lesson4:YerbaMate
 StudentswilllearnaboutyerbamateanditsimportanceinArgentina.
Studentswillreadafolktaleabouttheoriginofmate,andlearnaboutits
history.Studentswilltrymate,ifavailable,aspartofthislesson.
Lesson5:Americanvs.ArgentineDiets
 StudentswillanalyzeatypicalArgentinedietaswellastheirowndiets,
inordertomakenutritionalandculturalcomparisons.Ifpossible,
studentswillsampleafewpopularArgentinedishes.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.2
Lesson1:TheGeographyofArgentina
LessonObjective:StudentswilllearnaboutthegeographyofArgentinain
preparationforlessonsonagriculture,food,andculture.
Procedure:
1. IntroduceArgentinatostudentsbyreviewingamapofSouthAmerica.*
PointoutthelocationandsizeofArgentina,aswellastheneighboring
countries(Uruguay,Paraguay,Bolivia,Brazil,Chile).Informstudentsthat
ArgentinaisthesecondlargestnationinSouthAmerica,andtheeighth
largestcountryintheworldintermsoftotallandarea(1,068,296square
miles/2,766,890squarekilometers).
*IfthecountriesofSouthAmericaarenoteasilyidentifiabletothe
students,theteachermaywanttoaskstudentsfirsttolabelamapofallof
thecountriesinSouthAmerica,beforefocusingonArgentina.
2. Mathextensionquestion:TheUSAis3.79millionsquare
miles/9.83millionsquarekilometers.HowlargeisArgentinain
comparisontotheUSA?
Dependingontimeandskilllevel,theteachermaywantstudentsto
determinetheexactmathematicalratio.(Quickanswer:Argentinais
approximately¼thesizeoftheUSA.)
3. StudentswillidentifythevariouslandscapesofArgentinabycolorcoding
eachareawiththedominantlandscapes:theAndes,thepampas,the
North,Patagonia,etc.Agoodmapresourcetouseis:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com.Thiswebsitehasmanyblankoutline
mapsofallregionsoftheworld,completeandready‐to‐goforstudents.
4. Studentswillidentifythefollowinglocationsandtermsastheyarelabeling
theirmaps.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.3
ImportantPlaces
AndesMountains
Patagonia
Pampas
Puna
Mesopotamia
BuenosAires
Mt.Aconcagua
Ushuaia
TierradelFuego
IguazuFalls
BodiesofWater
AtlanticOcean
PacificOcean
ParanáRiver
RiodelaPlata
StraitofMagellan
BorderingandNearby
Countries,Islands,etc.
Brazil
Bolivia
CapeHorn
Chile
FalklandIslands(IslasMalvinas)
Paraguay
Uruguay
5.Oncestudentscolorcodetheirmaps,makesurethattheyalsolabelthemin
ordertodifferentiatethevariousregions.
6.Classresearchorstudenthomeworkactivity:Studentsworkindividually
orinpairstoresearchfivefactsaboutoneofthe"ImportantPlaces"or
"BodiesofWater"fromthelist(note:theteachercanassignstudentsmore
thanonearea(orallgeographicareas)toresearch,dependingonthesize
oftheclassandtimeavailable).Aspresenterssharetheirresearchfacts
withtheclass,studentswilltakenotesontheattachedgeography
worksheet(teachernotesarealsoincluded).Theteachercandecide
whetherit'sappropriatetoteststudentsonthismaterialatalaterdate.
7.Finalgroupdiscussionquestion:Afterstudentshavelabeledtheirmaps
andpresentedtheirresearchaboutthedifferentregionsofArgentina,ask
studentstobrainstormhowArgentina'schanginglandscapemightaffect
thepeoplelivingineachlocation.Recordstudentopinionsontheboard
andthendiscussasawholeclass.
MapExtensionActivity
Studentscangainahands‐onunderstandingofArgentina’slandscapeby
creatinga3‐Dtopographicalmapofcoloredmodelingclay.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.4
Materialsneeded:colored,quick‐dryingmodelingclay;aboardtouseasa
base(atleastonesquarefoot);atopographicalmapofArgentina;toothpicks;
andpaper.
Directions:AftertracinganoutlinemapofArgentinaontothebasesurface,
studentswilluseclaytorepresenttheimportanttopographicalfeaturesof
Argentina,suchastheAndesMountains,Patagonia,Pampas,etc.(seeliston
nextpage).Oncestudentshavecompletedtheir3‐Dmodel,theywilllabel
eachtopographicalareausinga"flag"madeoftoothpicksandpaper.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.5
StudentWorksheet:TheGeographyofArgentina
Directions:Locateeacharealistedbelowonyourmap.Besuretocolorcode
eachgeographicareaandlabeleachlandmark.(Ifyouaremakingthe3‐D
map,writeeachtermbelowonasmall,aboutoneinchsquare,pieceofpaper.
Tapeeachpapersquaretoatoothpicktocreatea"flag"thatyoucanuseto
labeleachoftheregionsonyour3‐Dmap).
*Savethissheetsothatyoucanwriteanynotesabouteachgeographicarea
duringthestudentpresentations.
BodiesofWater:
AtlanticOcean
PacificOcean
ParanáRiver
RiodelaPlata
StraitofMagellan
BorderingandNearbyCountries,Islands,etc.:
Brazil
Bolivia
CapeHorn
Chile
Paraguay
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.6
Uruguay
FalklandIslands(IslasMalvinas)
ImportantPlaces/GeographicalAreas
AndesMountains
Patagonia
Pampas
Mesopotamia
Puna
BuenosAires
Mt.Aconcagua
Ushuaia
TierradelFuego
IguazuFalls
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.7
TeacherNotes:TheGeographyofArgentina
BodiesofWater
ParanáRiver‐3,998kmlong,flowsfromBraziltoArgentina.It'stheworld's
13th‐longestriverandthesecondlongestinSouthAmerica(theAmazonis
thelongest).
RiodelaPlata‐"RiverofSilver"or"RiverPlate":Thisisoneoftheworld's
greatriversystems.ItrivalstheAmazon,Nile,andMississippiintermsof
length,width,andflow.
StraitofMagellan‐theseachannellocatedatthesoutherntipofSouth
America.Itwas“discovered"byFerdinandMagellanin1520.
BorderingandNearbyCountries,Islands,etc.
CapeHorn‐fromDutch"KaapHoorn,"it'sthesouthernmostheadlandof
TierradelFuego
FalklandIslands(IslasMalvinas)‐islandsownedbyBritain,though
disputedbyArgentina.
ImportantPlaces/GeographicalAreas
AndesMountains‐dominantmountainchaininSouthAmerica.Average
heightis13,000ft/4,000m.
Patagonia‐fromSpanish"patagones"or"bigfeet."Thisareaissparsely
populatedsteppe(cold,drygrasslands).
Pampas‐Quechuafor"levelplain."Thisflat,fertilelandthatisthecenterof
thecountry'sagriculturaloutput.
Mesopotamia‐"thelandbetweentherivers,"thenorthernfertileareas
borderingBrazil,Paraguay,andUruguay.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.8
Puna‐"highsteppe"oraltiplanoregion.Thisisthedry,highaltitudeareain
thenorthwest.Itisgenerallyadry,grassyareawithpasturelandforsheep,
llamas,guanacos,andvicuñas.
BuenosAires‐Spanishfor"FairWinds,"thecapitalofArgentina,andthe
secondlargestcityinSouthAmerica.ThegreaterBApopulationis
approximately15million.
Mt.Aconcagua‐highestpeakinbothsouthernandwesternhemispheres
(22,835ft/6,962meters)
Ushuaia‐southernmosttownintheworld.
TierradelFuego‐“LandofFire,”aseriesofislandsthatcomprisethe
southernmostpartofArgentina.
IguazuFalls‐Guaranilanguagemeaning"GreatWater,"it'sthelargest
waterfallinSouthAmerica,includesover275individualfalls,andextends
over2miles(3km).
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.9
Lesson2:AgricultureinArgentina
LessonObjective:StudentswillbuildupontheirknowledgeoftheArgentine
landscapeinLesson#1tolearnaboutthedevelopmentoftheagricultural
industryofArgentina.StudentswillexploretheconnectionbetweentheUSA
andArgentinainthefollowingfields:geography,agriculture,economy,and
diet.
Procedure:
1.Beginbydirectingstudentstotakeouttheircolorcoded(or3‐D)mapsof
Argentina.Askstudentstolookatthemapsandthen,withapartner,think
aboutwhichtypesoffoodmightbegrownorraisedinthevariousregions:
AndesMountains,thePampas,Mesopotamia,andPatagonia.
2.Afterstudentshavefinishedmakingtheirinitiallists,reviewthefollowing
facts:
 AccordingtotheArgentineMinistryofEconomy,about10%of
Argentinaiscultivated,andabouthalfofthatlandisusedforraising
livestock.
 About10%ofArgentina'sGDPisearnedfromagriculture(downfrom
20%inthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury).
 BeefisoneofArgentina'smostimportantexports.
 Argentina'spopulaceisoneoftheworld'shighestbeefconsumers(per
capita).
 Argentina'stopfiveagriculturalproducts:soybeans,maize,sugarcane,
wheat,sunflowerseed(foroil).
3.Forthisjigsawactivity,studentswillfocusonthebeefindustry.Ingroups
4–5,studentswillresearchoneofthefollowingfivesetsofquestions
(note:iftheclassislarge,theteachermayhavemorethanonegroup
researcheachset).Aftertheresearchiscompleted,eachgroupwill
presenttheirfindingstotheclass.Studentswilltakenotesduringeach
presentationsothateachstudenthasapersonalsetofnotesforallfivesets
ofquestions.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.10
StudentResearchQuestions:AgricultureinArgentina
ResearchQuestion#1:Whatkindoflandscapeisbestsuitedforraising
cattle?Whatisthedifferencebetween"grassfed"beefand"grainfed"
beef?Inwhatwaysarethesetwomethodssimilar?Howarethey
different?Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofeachmethod?
Aftercompletingyourresearch,doesyourgroupfeelthatonemethodis
superiortotheother?Whyorwhynot?
ResearchQuestion#2:HowarecattletypicallyraisedintheUSA?Your
groupshouldprovideaclearoverviewoftheprocess,andincludeatleast
fiveresearchfactsfromeachpersoninyourgroup.
ResearchQuestion#3:HowarecattletypicallyraisedintheArgentina?
Yourgroupshouldprovideaclearoverviewoftheprocess,andincludeat
leastfiveresearchfactsfromeachpersoninyourgroup.
ResearchQuestion#4:Whataretheenvironmentaleffectsofraising
cattle?AretheUSAand/orArgentinafacinganyoftheseenvironmental
problems?Youmustresearchanddescribeatleastfiveissuesduringyour
presentation.
ResearchQuestion#5:Whatarethehealthbenefitsofeatingbeef?Are
thereanyhealthrisks?Ifso,whatarethey?Yourgroupshouldresearch
boththebenefitsandrisksandbereadytopresentyourfindingstothe
class.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.11
Lesson3:ElGaucho
LessonObjective:StudentswillcomparethegauchoinArgentinatothe
Americancowboy.Theywilllearnsomeofthehistoricandcultural
characteristicsofgauchoculture.
Note:Itisrecommendedthatstudentshavetwodifferentcoloredwriting
utensilsforthisactivity.
Procedure:
1.DiscusswithstudentswhattheyknowaboutAmericancowboys.What
wordsandimagescometomind?Keeparunninglistontheboard.
2.DirectstudentstodrawalargeVennDiagramontheirpapers.Overone
circle,writethetitle“AmericanCowboy.”Overthesecondcircle,titleit
“ArgentineGaucho.”
3.Usingoneoftheircoloredwritingutensils,studentswriteinonehalfofthe
VennDiagramwhattheyknowaboutAmericancowboys,cowboyculture,
etc.Theymayreferbacktotheclassdiscussionnotesinstep#1,if
necessary.
4.Usingthesamewritingutensil,studentsnowbrainstormwhattheyknow
aboutArgentinegauchosinthesecondhalfoftheVennDiagram(thismay
beamuchshorterlist)
5.Tointroducestudentstotheconceptofthegaucho,theteachercan
presentoneormoreofthefollowing:
A)Apictureofatypicalgaucho(useInternetorprintedsources)
B)AvideoofmoderngauchosinArgentina(NationalGeographichasan
interesting2minuteclip,ortheteachermaypreferothervideoimages.
TherearenumerousvideosavailableonYouTube.)
C)Acartoonvideo"ElGauchoGoofy"byDisneyClassics(1943).This8‐
minutevideoiseasilyfoundonYouTubeandisinterestingasacultural
andhistoricalartifact,sinceitportraysbothcowboysandgauchosofan
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.12
earliertimeperiod.Studentscandiscusstheinformationlearnedfrom
thecartoon,aswellastheculturalgeneralizationsandstereotypesof
thetimeperiod.
6. Ashomework,orforanin‐classactivity,studentswillconduct
independentresearchtocompletetheworksheetaboutAmerican
cowboysandArgentinegauchos.
7. Afterfinishingtheworksheet,studentswilladdtheirresearchfacts
(usingadifferentcoloredwritingutensil)toeachcircleoftheVenn
Diagram.
8. Next,asaclass,studentssharetheirresearchandcompletethefinal
sectionoftheVennDiagram,whichisthesectionthathighlightsshared
characteristicsfoundinbothcowboyandgauchoculture.
9. Discussion:Whatsurprisingfactsdidstudentslearnduringtheir
research?Overall,docowboysandgauchoshavemorecultural
similaritiesordifferences?
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.13
StudentWorksheet:TheAmericanCowboy
1.Describethelinguistichistoryoftheword“cowboy.”
2.Whatarefivecommoncharacteristicsofcowboysinthe1800sandearly
1900s?
3.Whatclothingandtoolsaretypicalofacowboy?Whatisthepurposeof
eachoftheseelements?
4.Describeatleastonewaythatcowboysoftodayaresimilartoand
differentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.14
StudentWorksheet:TheArgentineGaucho
1. Describethelinguistichistoryofthewordgaucho.
2. Whatarefivecommoncharacteristicsofgauchosinthe1800sandearly
1900s?
3. Whatclothingandtoolsaretypicalofagaucho?Whatisthepurposeof
eachoftheseelements?
4. Describeatleastonewaythatgauchosoftodayaresimilartoand
differentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.15
TeacherNotes:TheAmericanCowboy
1.Describethelinguistichistoryoftheword“cowboy.”
"Cowboy"isanEnglishtranslationoftheSpanishwordvaquero,whichisa
manwhoworkswithcows(vaca=cow).ThetermfirstappearedinEnglishin
the1700s,althoughtheconceptofaherder(cowherdorshepherd)hadbeen
inuseforcenturies.Thetermmayoriginallyhavereferredtoonlyaboy,and
thenexpandedtoincludethemoderncowboy,whichbecamemoreprevalent
inthe1800s.Earlyon,itwasattimesconsideredaninsulttobecalleda
cowboy.However,todaythewordcowboyhasapositiveconnotationthat
includesbothhorseshowmanshipandvariousranchrelatedwork.The
cowboyisalsoaniconoftheAmericanwest,andisasymbolofManifest
Destiny.
2.Whatarefivecommoncharacteristicsofcowboysinthe1800sand
early1900s?
TheAmericancowboybeganasaderivativeoftheSpanishvaquerotradition,
asSpanishsettlersmovedintothenorth.Asmorecattlewereraised,theland
neededforgrazingincreased.Cowboysoftenlivedwiththeirherds,roaming
theAmericanwest.Theyoftencarriedtheirsupplieswiththem,andmanydid
nothavefamilies,orliveinpermanentcommunities.Cowboysneededtobe
wellversedinhorsebackriding,sincethehorsewasessentialtotheday‐to‐
dayexistenceofthecowboy.Cowboysbrandedtheirherdsin"roundups,"
whichweretheoriginsofthe"rodeos"ofmoderntimes.
3.Whatclothingandtoolsaretypicalofacowboy?Whatisthe
purposeofeachoftheseelements?
Acowboymightwearthefollowing:jeans,bandanna,chaps,cowboyhat,
cowboyboots,andgloves.Histoolsmightinclude:agun,aknife,alariat
(lasso),spurs,andalltheequipmentforhishorse.
4.Describeatleastonewaythatcowboysoftodayaresimilartoand
differentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes?
Cowboystodaystillworkwithhorses,cattle,andanimals.Theylearnmanyof
thesameskillsthatearliercowboysused.Today'scowboysarelessnomadic,
livingsettledliveswithfamiliesandinpermanentcommunities.Todaythere
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.16
arebothworkingcowboys,andotherswhomayadopttheimage.Todaythere
arealsorodeoperformances,wherecowboysshowtheirskillstoanaudience,
oftensolelyforentertainmentpurposes.
TeacherNotes:TheArgentineGaucho
1.Describethelinguistichistoryofthewordgaucho.
Thewordgauchohasseveralpossibleorigins.Itmaybederivedfrom
Quechuaword"huachu"(orphan)ortheindigenousMapucheword"cauchu"
(vagabond).ThewordappearedinSpanishataroundthesametimeas
Argentina'sindependencein1816.
2.Whatarefivecommoncharacteristicsofgauchosinthe1800sand
early1900s?
Gauchoswereoftenmestizo(mixedrace).Theytypicallyworkedontheirown
orinsmallgroups,livingforlongperiodsoftimeontheopenland(pampas).
Gauchosweregreathorsemenandoutdoorsmen.Theirprimaryjobwasto
herdcattleandbringtheherdstomarket.
3.Whatclothingandtoolsaretypicalofagaucho?Whatisthe
purposeofeachoftheseelements?
Agauchotypicallyworebaggytrousers,highboots,awidebrimmedhat,anda
poncho(whichcouldbeusedasasaddle).Heprizedhisfacón,orknife,as
wellashisboledora(orbola).Thebolaconsistedofthreemetalballswrapped
inleatherthatwereconnectedwithleatherstraps.Thegauchowouldthrow
thebolaaroundthelegsofananimalinordertocatchit.Thetypicalgaucho
outfitwouldalsoincludearebenque(leatherwhip),abeltcalledatirador,and
achiripá,oraclothwrap.Inthewintertime,gauchosworeheavywool
ponchostoprotectagainstcold.Nowadays,workinggauchosareaslikelyto
befoundinoverallsandwellingtonbootsasintheirtraditionaldress.
4.Describeatleastonewaythatgauchosoftodayaresimilartoand
differentfromtheirpredecessorsinearliertimes.
Inthepast,gauchoswereanimportantpartoftheagriculturaleconomyand
oftenhadanegativereputationforbeinguncivilized.Todaygauchos
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.17
representaromanticimageofArgentina'spast,buttheydonothaveamajor
presenceinmoderndailylife.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.18
Lesson4:YerbaMate
LessonObjective:Studentswilllearnaboutyerbamateanditsimportancein
Argentina.Studentswillreadafolktaleabouttheoriginofmate,andthen
learnaboutitshistory.Studentswilltrymate,ifavailable,aspartofthis
lesson.
Procedure:
1.Theteacherwillbeginwithaclassdiscussionquestion:Afterwater,what
doyouthinkarethemostwidelyconsumeddrinksintheworldtoday?
Brainstormwithstudentswhattheythinkarethemostwidelyconsumed
beveragesandwhy.Afterstudentshaveachancetodiscusstheidea,
informstudentsthatteaisgenerallyconsideredtheworld'ssecondmost
populardrink.
2.Introducestudentstoyerbamatebyfirstexplainingthatthisteais
consideredArgentina'smostpopulardrink,anditisfoundalloverthe
country.
3.StudentswillreadtheGuaranimythabouttheoriginofmate,which
illustratestheculturalandhistoricimportanceofmateinArgentina's
history.VariousversionsofthismythareeasilyfoundontheInternet,or
inchildren'sbooksonArgentina(seeresourcelist).
4.Forhomeworkorasaclassactivity,studentswillresearchbrieflyaboutthe
historyofyerbamateandrecordtheirresearchontheworksheetincluded
inthislesson.
5.Asaculminationforthislesson,teacherwillprovideasamplingofyerba
mate,ifpossible,andbringinand/orshowpicturesofamatedrinking
gourdandbombilla(metalstraw).Studentswilldiscusstheirresearch
factswhilesamplingmate.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.19
StudentWorksheet:FindingOutAboutYerbaMate
1. Whatistheetymologicalhistoryandtranslationofyerbamate?
2. HowdidyerbamatebecomesuchanimportantpartofArgentine
culture?
3. Whatarethehealthbenefitsofmate?
4. Howismateconsumed?Arethereanyritualsassociatedwithdrinking
thisbeverage?
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.20
TeacherNotes:FindingOutAboutYerbaMate
1.Whatistheetymologicalhistoryandtranslationofyerbamate?
Yerba=Spanishfor"herb"
Mate=Quechuafor"cup"or"gourd"
Therefore,yerbamatemeans,"herbcup,"whichishowmateistraditionally
prepared.
2.HowdidyerbamatebecomesuchanimportantpartofArgentine
culture?
YerbamatewaswidelyusedbytheindigenouspeopleofArgentina.Itis
naturallyfoundintheMisionesregion,andcomesfromtheyoungleavesof
theBrazilianhollyplant.ItwasadoptedbySpanishsettlers,sincetheteawas
locallyproducedandmorewidelyavailablethanimportedcoffeeortea.
TodayitisestimatedthatArgentinesdrinkover200,000tonsofyerbamatea
year,andArgentinaisoneoftheworld'slargestconsumersofthistea.
3.Whatarethehealthbenefitsofmate?
Yerbamatecontainssomenaturalcaffeine,andisfullofanti‐oxidants.Many
claimthatmateincreasesmentalawareness,improvescirculation,provides
energy,andimprovesoverallhealth.
4.Howismateconsumed?Arethereanyritualsassociatedwith
drinkingthisbeverage?
Mate(thetea)istraditionallypreparedinagourd(mate)andthendrunk
throughastrawcalleda"bombilla."Thestrawhasafiltertokeeptheteafree
fromleaves.Theyerbamatebowlorgourdcanbeornatelydecorated,and
Argentinestakegreatprideinthistradition.Typicallyyerbamateisashared
activity,andthemateispassedfrompersontoperson.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.21
Lesson5:Americanvs.ArgentineDiets
LessonObjective:StudentswillanalyzeatypicalArgentinedietaswellas
theirowndiets,inordertomakenutritionalandculturalcomparisons.
Procedure:
1.BeginthelessonbyshowingstudentsamenufromanArgentine
restaurant.Ifpossible,obtainprintedmenusfromalocalArgentine
restaurant;ifnoneareavailable,samplemenusareeasilyavailableonline
frommanyrestaurantsand/orcookbooks.Aprintablemenu(PDF)is
availablefromBuenosAiresCafe(Austin,TX)at
www.buenosairescafe.com.
2.Directstudentstolistanyunfamiliarwordsordishesthattheyfindonthe
menu.UseSpanishdictionariesand/orArgentineguidebooks,ifnecessary,
tolookupanyunusualterms.Asstudentsanalyzethemenu,theyshould
listthefivemostcommonfoodgroupsthattheyfind.
3.Nextpassoutablanksheetof81/2”x14”pieceofpapertostudents.This
willbetheir“placemat”fortheirimaginarymeal.
4.IntroducestudentstotheUSDAdietaryguidelinesbyvisiting
www.choosemyplate.gov.Thiswebsitehelpsdefinetherecommendeddiet
forAmericansandservesasabasicmodelforstudentstodesigntheirown
“plate.”
5.OncestudentshaveanopportunitytoreviewanddiscusstheUSDA
guidelines,studentswillillustrateadinner“plate”thatrepresentsoneof
theirtypicalmeals.
6.Afterstudentsillustrateandlabeltheir“plate,”theycanusetheUSDA
websitetolookupthenutritionalandcaloricresultsoftheirchoices.
7.Forcomparison,studentswilldrawasecondplate(eitheronthebackor
theirpaper,oronaseparatesheet),whichwillcontaina“typical”
Argentinemeal.InordertocompletetheArgentineplate,studentscanuse
theinformationgatheredfrommenusorArgentinecookbooksandshould
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.22
besuretoincludesomeculturalfoods.Theteachermayhavestudents
conductadditionalresearcheitheronlineorwithprintedresources.One
factstudentsshouldconsiderastheyaredesigningtheirArgentineplateis
thatanaverageArgentineconsumesabout190pounds(86kg)ofbeefper
year!
8.StudentscanusetheUSDAwebsitetocalculatethenutritionalandcaloric
differencesbetweentheirpersonaldietandthatofatypicalArgentine.
9.Afterallstudentsaredoneillustratingtheirtwoplates,theteachercanpost
theillustrationssothatstudentscanseethevarietyofmealseateninboth
theUSAandArgentina.Theteachermayalsowishtohaveindividual
studentspresenttheirtwoplates.Oncetheclasshashadanopportunityto
viewthevarietyofplates,theteacherwillhelpstudentsreflectontheir
observations.
Questionstoconsiderduringthereflectionactivity:
 DoyounoticeanytrendsorpatternsintheplatesfromtheUSAand
fromArgentina?
 Doyounoticeanyoveralldifferencesinthedietsofthetwo
countries?
 Whatareseveralpositivedietarychoicesyoucanlearnfromthis
activity?
FoodExtensionActivity:
StudentscanprepareArgentinefoodseitherathomeoratschoolwiththe
teacher,inordertosampleArgentinecuisine.
SomepopularArgentinedishesthatstudentsmaywishtoprepareare:
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
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Chimichurri
Empandas
Dulcedeleche/alfajores(cookies)
Medialuna(croissants)
Asado(grilledmeat)
Pasta(sorrentinos,ravioles,etc.)
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.23
Resources
Children’sReferenceBooks
Argentina:APortraitoftheCountyThroughitsFestivalsandTraditions,
GrolierPublishing,DanburyCT,2004.ISBN0‐7172‐5789‐4.
Thisbookfocusesonfestivals,butalsohasaversionofthelegendofyerba
mate).
Blashfield,JeanF.,Argentina,Children’sPress(Scholastic),NewYork,2007.
ISBN‐13:978‐0‐516‐24872‐1
CaroGofen,Ethel&Jermyn,Leslie,Argentina:CulturesoftheWorld,Marshall
CavendishCorporation,Tarrytown,NY,2002.ISBN0‐7614‐1358‐8
Videos
“Gauchos”(2minutevideo),NationalGeographicSociety,
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/places/regions‐
places/south‐america/argentina_gauchos.html
“ElGauchoGoofy”(7minutevideo),WaltDisneyProductions(YouTubevideo
clip),originalpublicationin1943.
Websites
USDA(UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture),www.choosemyplate.com
“AtoZKidsStuff:Argentina,”http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/argentina.html
“NationalGeographicKids:Argentina,”
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/argentina/
“Travelsur,”http://www.travelsur.net/gauchos.htm
Formoreinformationongauchos.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.24
“ZoneLatina,”http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata109.htm
Formoreinformationonmate.
“Argentina’sTravelGuide,”http://argentinastravel.com/190/drinking‐mate‐
with‐the‐argentines/
Formoreinformationonmate. “GuayakiYerbaMateCompany,”http://guayaki.com/mate/1894/Legends‐of‐
Yerba‐Mate‐Origins.html
Thissitehasagoodversionofthelegendoftheyerbamate.
“Beef,”AnupShah,GlobalIssues:Social,Political,Economic,and
EnvironmentalIssuesThatAffectUsAll,
http://www.globalissues.org/article/240/beef
Agoodsourceforinformationaboutthebeefindustryanditsimpactonthe
environment.
Sproull–FoodTradition
p.25