Argentina begin their World Cup defence in Kansas City, the self-styled global barbecue capital, but their fans insist the South American nation is already the king of the grill.<\/p>\n
Supporters decked out in blue and white have arrived in droves ahead of Tuesday’s game against Algeria, bringing their asado<\/em> culture to the streets of the Midwestern US city.<\/p>\n Their claim to barbecue supremacy is a brave one in a town that is proud of its own culinary reputation and even boasts a museum dedicated to the art.<\/p>\n As meat sizzled at Argentine restaurant Los Hornos, fans dressed in Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona shirts danced to a relentless drumbeat.<\/p>\n Marco Narv\u00e1ez, a US-based Argentine who owns a renovation company, has lived in Alabama since 1996, but he is still convinced his native barbecued food is the best.<\/p>\n \u00abLook, I’ve tried American barbecue and honestly, personally, I don’t like it,\u00bb the 56-year-old told AFP at the noisy gathering.<\/p>\n \u00abI prefer to make asado<\/em> with a little chimichurri<\/em>, you know? But Argentine asado<\/em> is priceless. Plus, it’s known all over the world. Of course, it’s priceless and has no rival.\u00bb<\/p>\n Tony Rivilli, a short-term rental property manager from C\u00f3rdoba, is open-minded but ultimately agrees that Argentina is the winner.<\/p>\n \u00abIt’s impossible for me to tell you that Argentine asado<\/em> isn’t better,\u00bb said the 25-year-old. \u00abI’ve tried both. There’s an American cut called brisket, which is delicious.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00abMy issue, or the difference I see, is that they like to marinate or add sauces, whereas with Argentine style it’s just salt and pepper.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00abBoth are good, they’re just different. For me an asado is one thing and a barbecue is another. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy both.\u00bb<\/p>\n A few miles across town, Argentine businessmen Leo Garc\u00eda, 51, and Carlos Espina, 52, were sampling US-style fare at the wildly popular Joe’s Kansas City BAR-B-QUE.<\/p>\n \u00abFor me, nothing compares to Argentine asado<\/em>,\u00bb said Espina. \u00abThis [US food] is spicy, I’m an Argentine asado<\/em> person.<\/p>\n \u00abThe taste is different, it’s another taste, Americans have a different palate.\u00bb<\/p>\n Back at Los Hornos, Daniela Ruiz, a sign language interpreter from Buenos Aires, explains that the culture of asado is broader than the food itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00abArgentine asado<\/em> is more than eating meat, it’s more than getting together, it’s about bonding,\u00bb said the 54-year-old.<\/p>\n \u00abFrom early in the morning you build the fire, with charcoal, with wood, however you like, and it cooks for a long time before we sit down at the table to enjoy it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00abIt has to do with something that goes beyond simply sitting at a table to eat. So maybe that’s what gives it a flavour that nothing in the world will ever be able to match.\u00bb<\/p>\n by Elena Boffetta, AFP<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n