The Grown-Up Version of the Hot Dog

Have you ever had choripan? Then you’ll never want an ordinary hot dog again. Because the bun, the sausage, the herbs and the sauce: in so many ways, choripan is better.

Choripan is all about the sausage. The classic version features a generously seasoned chorizo sausage cooked on the grill. Frying it in a pan is not an option. The meat isn’t served on a soft, soggy bun, but on a crisp bread roll or baguette. Always the white variety.

You can think of choripan as a grown-up version of the hot dog, because everything used to make it is just a little more ‘sophisticated’. No mustard or ketchup on the sausage, but herby chimichurri.

A good chimichurri does require some chopping, but never put the ingredients in a blender as a shortcut. That purées the herbs and garlic, so you won’t get a fresh green herb sauce. Another option is to serve it with a sauce made from finely chopped tomato, olive oil and onion, or with guacamole.

Invented by gauchos

Who should we thank for this addictive sandwich? Gauchos, the original inhabitants of the Pampas. They first made the sandwich in the nineteenth century during family celebrations.

Later, the snack was introduced in other cities and throughout the rest of Latin America. Choris, as choripan is affectionately known, are usually eaten at the beginning of a barbecue in Argentina to stave off hunger a little. And that’s necessary, because Argentinians see barbecuing as the ultimate form of slow cooking. It can easily take five hours before a piece of beef comes off the barbecue.

For now, this snack is only available at a handful of food festivals in the Netherlands. We can’t wait until the first hot dog stands are replaced by choripan stands.

Image: Flickr