Uruguay - What You Should Know About The Country, Wines & Restaurants

The national flag of Uruguay.

The flag originally had more blue bands, but the number was reduced to make it easier to see at sea.

The sun's rays have alternating wavy and straight lines.

Where is the country?

South American

Yes, Uruguay is in South America, most people know, but what else should you know? Firstly, since it is south of the equator, the seasons are the reverse of countries to the north. Uruguay's summer, or warm weather in our northern winter (UK, USA, Europe), whilst Uruguay's cool weather is in our summer.

Map of Uruguay

East

The Country's full name is Republic of Oriental Uruguay, including the word oriental, which I associate with what I still think of as the Far East. But oriental just means east. Uruguay is on the south east coast of South American. The waters are the Atlantic Ocean.

Coast

 Coast? Yes, Uruguay is on the coast. 

To the north is Brazil. Like Brazil, Uruguay has beautiful beaches. 

Landmark photo spot, sculpture on the beach, La Mano de Punta del Este.

Sculpture - La Mano de Punta del Este

The Hand of the Tip Of The East. Popular photo spot. It is a warning that the local waves are more suitable for surfing, so swimmers should go to another beach.

The Chilean sculptor who had come to Uruguay to participate in a sculpture contest, later made another similar sculpture in the desert in Chile.

Carnival

Like Brazil, Uruguay has a carnival. In fact Uruguay has a long carnival. Not just three days like the Bank Holiday Notting Hill Carnival in London.

Food In and From Uruguay

A local everyday food, the national dish, is Chivito, a calorie laden upmarket version of burger with a difference, filet mignon steak slice with added egg, cheese, bacon, ham and olives or salad, though you can order a version without the bun just on the plate. 

Wine and Wineries

Lots of wineries. You can buy Uruguay wines from Marks & Spencer, and Hedonism shop in central London.

In Uruguay, a good place to match the local food and wine would be in a winery Restaurant, such as at Bodega Garzon.

Expats, spouses, descendants, importers, tourists or wellwishers, from Uruguay in the UK can buy from Amazon a tee-shirt which says in Spanish I am (soy) Uruguan, Raised on Chivito, or I'd rather be in Uruguay,  with a Spanish flag in the shape of the country.

Side Trips For Food

The country has more cattle than people. Up north towards Brazil is cowboy country with ranches.

The Fray Bentos former meat canning site closed down but is now a UNESCO site and museum.

Wiki informs me

The "Fray Bentos" brand is now owned in the UK by Baxters, which manufactures the product range in Scotland. The Campbell Soup Company manufactures and sells Fray Bentos-branded steak and kidney pies in Australia.

I can buy Fray Bentos pies in the UK from Morrisons supermarket, Waitrose, and from Amazon, which all show the tin. Baxters website shows the pie once cooked.

Population

The population is small. 3.5 to 4.5 million. Less than London and many main cities. 

Capital - Montevideo

More than half the population, about two million people, live in the largest city and capital, Montevideo.

Language

The language is Spanish.

The restaurant menu for the Bodega Garzon winery was in Spanish with the Portuguese translation under each item listed. Bodega Garzon is the second of the top two largest wine producers in Portugal, according to my husband. 

He is presenting Uruguayan wines to the Central London Wine Society. Enquiries and booking through Meetup.

Religion in Uruguay

About half the population are Roman Catholic, or Christian. However, the country is secular. Uruguay was one of the first countries to recognize the state of Israel.

Differences from Paraguay

Uruguay has a seaside but Paraguay is land locked. Uruguay had an influx of foreigners and European influence but Paraguay preserved an indigenous population and the language Guarani.

In the UK on September 2nd 2026 I was offered £5 off my first order if I signed up to Hedonism.

The Irurtia family offered me a free glass of wine for signing up, but I would have to go to Uruguy. Once there I could drive west to see them. It takes about six hours to drive across the country non stop south to north or east to west. About the size of England and Wales, my husband says like driving to Edinburgh from London in a day, feasible in theory, but you would want to stop overnight half way, and preferably extend to two to four days to make a couple of special stops, one each morning, one each afternoon, with either a leisurely lunch or an evening dinner, or 6 days to do it properly and leisurely. Day trips by ferry, an hour each way, come from Rio in neighbouring Brazil.

Useful Websites About Uruguay

tripadvisor

wikipedia

wikivoyage travel uruguay

wikivoyage phrasebook Spanish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Mano_de_Punta_del_Este

Uruguayan Wines Sold In the UK

https://www.finewinesdirectuk.com/all-wines/country/new-world/uruguay/

https://hedonism.co.uk/collections/country-uruguay

Restaurant Menu & Wines At Bodega Garzon in Uruguay

https://bodegagarzon.com/

Restaurant of the Deicas Family

https://familiadeicas.com/restaurante/

Irurtia Family

https://enoturismocarmelo.com.uy/en/wineries/familia-irurtia

UK Uruguyan Food

https://www.baxters.com/products/fray-bentos

https://www.latinroutes.co.uk/lp/uruguay

-ends-

I also have posts on learning and translating Spanish and menu translations. Please share links to your favourite posts.

One Ashbourne: kosher, expensive, but beautiful British chips

 

You go in at the entrance where they check you have a booking. Out of another door so as not to collide with serving staff. A good one way system.

Kosher restaurant.

Drinks

I had a glass of Prosecco. For only thirty bob more I could have had a Bellini with strawberry. 

No need. I am sufficiently satisfied by  Prosecco. It did the trick. Made me content, happy, and smiling, merry, and laughing.  

Prosecco at One Ashbourne.

Others ordered gin and tonic. We declined non-alcoholic mocktails.

Starter

I had chicken soup.

 Pleasant. But not remarkable. I would try something else next time. I would not have it again.. (The best chicken soup is at B & K in Hatch End and Edgware.)

My husband ordered a raw steak starter. Felt the same as I did. Interesting to try it once, but insufficient flavor for one to try it a second time.

Main Courses

I was surprised that one of our group opted for the beef burger. But is was surprisingly large and high. After she removed the lettuce and mayonnaise (she is a picky eater) she seemed very happy with it. I might try that next time. Will there be a next time? Kosher restaurants are few and far between. 

Steak

The beefsteak is from Uruguay. We spent a long time debating the price and the quality of each item, particularly the steak.

Why Uruguay? Isn't Argentina bigger and better known for steak? Only one way to find out. Ask! We asked the owner, Ben. He said the steak really is from Uruguay, not via a UK shop or supplier. "It's ordered direct from Uruguay by one of the staff who knows somebody out there."

Chips

Very good chips. Big chips. Like real chips, not French fries. What the Americans call chips in Britain we call crisps.

Highly recommended. Go there just for the chips.

Duck

I had duck. Large pieces. Enough to take some home. (After soup and bread for starters, anticipating a dessert.) The duck was without potatoes. I would have liked mashed or saute or roast or baked. However, after trying the chips I would order them next time. The high point of the meal.

Risotto

My husband had risotto, rice with peas, Parmesan (aged Parmesan) and courgettes. Excellent. Rice in a creamy sauce which stuck it together.

Crumble and ice cream dessert.

The crumble seemed crunchy and overcooked to me, not melt in the mouth. But everybody else liked it. The apple was soft chunks, neither lumps nor puree.

The ice cream was white.  

No decaf coffee.

Happy Birthday Plate

All photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Lovely writing.

To sum up, what did I like most or what would I order again? Chips. And more chips. With extra cutlery to pass chips to others. Service, wonderful. 

Useful Websites

https://www.oneashbourne.com/

You can order through Goodeats and Deliveroo and pre-order a Friday night meal on Wednesday to be delivered to you on Thursday.

About the Author

I am Angela Lansbury, not related to the actress, nor the other people of the same name on LinkedIn. I am British born. I have lived in Spain (winter home) and the USA. My family has lived in or often visited the multi-racial USA where Spanish is an increasingly prevalent language, in multi-language Singapore which has signs in the four official languages which include English and Chinese, in Spain, and multi-language Switzerland where you see French, German, and Italian.. My interest in languages was helped by having long-term au pair girls from France, Germany, Spain and Italy. I have written travel articles for numerous magazines and newspapers and spoken on radio and TV in the UK, USA and Australia.

You can link up with me on Facebook and LinkedIn. See my books on Lulu.com and Amazon. Or speak to me at meetings of speakers' clubs which are part of Toastmasters International. I belong to Harrovians in the UK, and in Singapore to BHA and TCA as well as Singapore Online. 

Please check about other posts and blogs and share links to your favourites.

Uruguay - Your South American Seaside

 LANDMARKS & TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Food[edit]

Uruguayan food culture comes mostly from the European cuisine culture. Most of the Uruguayan dishes are from Spain, France, Italy and Brazil, the result being immigration caused by past wars in Europe. Daily meals vary between meats, pasta of all types, rice, sweet desserts and other. Meat being the principal dish, due to Uruguay being one of the world's largest producers of quality meat.

Typical dishes include: "Asado uruguayo" (big grill or barbecue of all types of meat), roasted lamb, Chivito (sandwich containing thin grilled beef, lettuce, tomatoes, fried egg, ham, olives and others, and served with French fries), Milanesa (a kind of fried breaded beef), tortellini, spaghetti, gnocchi, ravioli, rice and vegetables.

One of the most consumed spreadables in Uruguay is Dulce de leche (a caramel confection from Latin America prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk). And the most typical sweet is Alfajor, which is a small cake, filled with Dulce de leche and covered with chocolate or meringue, it comes in various types, fillings, sizes and brands. Other typical desserts include the Pastafrola (a type of cake filled with quince jelly), Chajá (meringue, sponge cake, whipped cream and fruits, typically peaches and strawberries are added).

Mate (drink) is the most typical beverage in Uruguay, being a portable beverage that Uruguayans take to all manner of places.

Paraguay and Uruguay - which is which? Start with Inland Paraguay and Iguazu Falls (Brazilian side)(UNESCO site)

The Brazilian side of the Falls, across the bridge from Paraguay.

Access to the Falls is usually done through one of the three cities in the so-called tri-border between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

The city on the Brazilian side is Foz do Iguaçu - big and reasonably safe by Brazilian standards. The town on the Argentine side is called Puerto Iguazu and is small and pretty. Although the falls are between Brazil and Argentina only, Ciudad del Este, the city on the Paraguayan side, is just across the bridge from Brazil. It's a hectic (but exciting) centre for contraband and cheap electronic goods, and some say it's not safe there.

Immigration control at the border crossings between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay are open 24 hours and 7 days a week.

Paraguay

Uruguay

Where are they? South America. Both adjacent . 

Paraguay is bigger, but landlocked. 

Uruguay is on the Ocean.

Paraguay is about 2.3 times bigger than Uruguay.

Uruguay is approximately 176,215 sq km, while Paraguay is approximately 406,752 sq km, making Paraguay 131% larger than Uruguay.

Let's start alphabetically with bigger, inland Paraguay.

Paraguay in South America.

Paraguay

Culture[edit]

Main article: Culture of Paraguay

See also: Music of Paraguay and Cinema of Paraguay

Paraguay's cultural heritage can be traced to the extensive intermarriage between the original male Spanish settlers and indigenous Guaraní women. Their culture is highly influenced by various European countries, including Spain. Therefore, Paraguayan culture is a fusion of two cultures and traditions; one European, the other, Southern Guaraní. More than 93% of Paraguayans are mestizos, making Paraguay one of the most homogeneous countries in Latin America. 

LANGUAGE - SPANISH

A characteristic of this cultural fusion is the extensive bilingualism present to this day: more than 80% of Paraguayans speak both Spanish and the indigenous language, Guaraní. Jopara, a mixture of Guaraní and Spanish, is also widely spoken.^{[citation needed]}

Ovecha Ragué Festival

Both Spanish and Guaraní are official. Most people in Paraguay speak Spanish and use of English is very limited. Outside of Asuncion and big cities Guarani is all you will hear. Due to the extensive use of Guarani, even those who have managed to learn Spanish do not always speak it very well.

In Paraguay, Guarani is almost always spoken as a mix of Guarani and Spanish, known as Jopara, meaning "mixed" in Guarani. The number system in Guarani is rarely used, and is almost always replaced with the Spanish number system.

Some basic greetings in Guarani include:

Mba'eichapa? = How are you?

Iporã = Good

ha nde? = and you?

iporã avei = good as well

In Paraguay Vos is used instead of Tu. There is a slight change in conjugation but not big enough that you won't be understood using Tu. This Vos is NOT the same as Vosotros. Stems do not change in verbs when using "vos", and the ending is always stressed. For example "tienes" changes to "tenés", "puedes" changes to "podés", "vienes" changes to "venís" etc.

In the northern, and eastern parts of Paraguay, Portuguese is spoken widely. In some places, Nueva Esperanza (80% Portuguese speaking), Katuetè (60%) the majority speak Portuguese, almost always the result of Paraguayan born, or first generation Brazilian immigrants. There are many cases of Paraguayans, who were born during the era of Brazilian immigration who speak only Portuguese at home, although also fluent Guarani, but very little or no Spanish.

There are also a number of Mennonite communities throughout Paraguay which speak Low German and regular High German.

SOUVENIR SHOPPING

This cultural fusion is expressed in arts such as embroidery (ao po'í) and lace making (ñandutí).

MUSIC

 The music of Paraguay, which consists of lilting polkas, bouncy galopas, and languid guaranias is played on the native harp. 

FOOD

Paraguay's culinary heritage is also deeply influenced by this cultural fusion. Several popular dishes contain manioc, a local staple crop similar to the yuca also known as Cassava root found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as other indigenous ingredients. 

A popular dish is sopa paraguaya, similar to a thick corn bread. 

Another notable food is chipa, a bagel-like bread made from cornmeal, manioc, and cheese. Many other dishes consist of different kinds of cheeses, onions, bell peppers, cottage cheese, cornmeal, milk, seasonings, butter, eggs and fresh corn kernels.

AUTHORS

The 1950s and 1960s were the time of the birth of a new generation of Paraguayan novelists and poets such as José Ricardo Mazó, Roque Vallejos, and Nobel Prize nominee Augusto Roa Bastos. Several Paraguayan films have been made.

Inside the family, conservative values predominate. In lower classes, godparents have a special relationship to the family, since usually, they are chosen because of their favorable social position, in order to provide extra security for the children. Particular respect is owed them, in return for which the family can expect protection and patronage.^[111]

Things to do

Museum tour covers 7 museums, including art, independence and defence.

Museums, malls, a mini zoo, a riverside sandy beach, snow attraction, cathedral, ruins, hall of heroes (Panteon Nacional de los Heroes).

A church featuring wood covered in gold. The Jesuit circuit. Musical instruments museum. Tour of the captal, Asuncian, seeing large municipal buildings.

Waterfalls Crystal Waterfall and Iguazu Waterfall side trip.

Useful Websites

https://py.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information-2/

Eco Tour Agency

https://www.facebook.com/Paraguay-Tourism-Authority-220322248056987/

https://wikitravel.org/en/Paraguay

https://www.visitparaguay.travel/v1/circuito/3-gold-circuit

https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attraction_Review-g298438-d2536342-Reviews-San_Jose_Beach-Encarnacion_Itapua_Department.html

https://wikitravel.org/en/Igua%C3%A7u_Falls

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is British, has lived in the USA and Singapore. Is a travel writer currently confined to Singapore and the UK and catching up on the world oline and sharing her investigations with you.

Colourful Cats by Carlos in Uruguay And His Fantasy Hotel Beside His Museum

This you must see, colourful cats. Two cats, four cats, cat in a bathroom, couple in a bar watched by a cat.

I also love the fantasy hotel - it's a village, house, museum. A must see. The artist lived here and kept adding on rooms. He lived to the age of 90. It looks so light and white against the blue sky.

Then the cats are vivid colours.

Hotel With Pool and Poetry
If you want to stay in the hotel, it has rooms, apartments and a heated swimming pool. Every evening before sunset they play a recording of the late artist reading a poem saying goodbye to the sun. You don't get that everywhere.

You can see the swimming pool in this picture. 

Cat Paintings
The paintings are quirky. They look simple, but are full of patterns. Sometimes the figures of animals or people's faces are edged with black. Other times the black line is further in, echoing the edge.  The curves and semicircles and lines run parallel.

Casa Pueblo Museum
Punta Ballena (8 miles from Punta Del Este). The name ballena comes from the whales - yes, there's whale watching seasonally.

Summer High season is December to February.

Useful Websites

http://www.clubhotelcasapueblo.com

https://www.booking.com/hotel/uy/club-casapueblo.

https://thegreatcat.org/the-cat-in-art-and-photos-2/cats-in-art-20th-century/carlos-paez-vilaro-1923-2014-uruguayan/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my other posts on Fray Bentos in Uruguay and learning Spanish and Portuguese.

Translating Spanish Words On The Map Of Uruguay

Words from the map of Uruguay

Spanish/Portuguese - English  :Español / Portugués - Inglés

Aires - aire (s) (portugués)

Aires - air(s) (Portuguese)

Balneario - resort

Bentos

Bonete

Buenos - good (plural)

Cabo - Cape

de - of

del - of the

Diablo - devil

Este - East

Fray 

José - Joseph 

la - the

lago - lake

Laguna - lagoon

monte - mountain

Negro - black

Palmar - from the palm

Paloma - Dove

Pasa - pass

Plata - plate silver

Polonio

Punta - point, peninsula

Rincón - corner (small estate)

Rio - river

Rivera

San - Saint

video - view

Placenames

Artigas

Buenos Aires

La Paloma - The Dove

Laguna Merin - Merin Lagoon

Melo

Piriapolis

San Jose - Saint Joseph

Siempre Amigos - forever friends!

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, learner and teacher of languages. See my other posts on Portuguese, Spanish and learning languages.

Why you might visit Uruguay Urgently but postpone visiting Paraguay

Map of Uruguay from Wikipedia. See Fray Bentos on the left. 

URUGUAY
Why would you or I go to Uruguay? When I heard that Fray Bentos pies are named after a place in Uruguay, I was intrigued. I love Fray Bentos steak and kidney pies.

Sure enough, Uruguay has a Fray Bentos Museum. The old Fray Bentos factory no longer operates but the decaying buildings and machinery are a Unesco heritage site.  They shipped the goods out from the port on the river, making pies named after the place, and Oxo cubes.

That's number one on my list. I am sure anybody would find it fun. Maybe not if your group includes vegetarians.

Most people on Tripadvisor enthused. Tours take place twice a day. One reader travelled all the way from Colon in Argentina especially to take a tour.

Photo by DeCausa in Wikipedia.

Second visit? Also to visit, the museum of the artist who makes human figures with animal heads.

PARAGUAY
Skinning Snakes For Snake Snacks
What about Paraguay? Their biggest novelty is snake skinning lessons. Wiki warns that you must beware of two-headed snakes. One head can bite you whilst you are dealing with the other one.

That is a novelty. I have eaten snake in Shanghai, so I don't need to go to South American just to say I've done that.

Paraguay Procrastination
Another discouragement is their relaxed attitude to time. Your plane home is unlikely to take off on time. Just as well if your taxi is late, and so is your breakfast.

I understand procrastination. I understand being late. I don't mind others being late. If I have to wait, I can write a poem draw a picture, take a photo or learn Spanish or Portuguese.

However, it has taken several decades for me to learn to be early instead of late. I don't want to undo that effort.

As for language and practising your languages, Spanish is handy - or Portuguese in border areas, or a mixture of the two creating new words, a new dialect a new 'language' ... maybe I'll get around to describing that, some time - more later.

Travel Checklists

Useful websites
Visit Uruguay official tourist board:
https://turismo.gub.uy/index.php/en/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Uruguay (From the Wiki people, without ads.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fray_Bentos_(food_brand)

http://paisajefraybentos.com/pc/publico-y-visitantes-en-el-sitio/
Their website, mostly in easy to read Spanish, as you see the bit I copied reads 'public and visit to the site', with the occasional surprise of a line in English.

More will be added later. I am on Paraguay time.

Here's some more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Uruguay

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Emerging Regions Wines: Brazil, China, Croatia, Cyprus, India, Israel, Georgia, Greece, Lebanon, Romania, Slovenia, South Africa and Uruguay

Emerging region wines

A competition for the wine consumer to win a trip to Brazil, wines in Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Waitrose and wine merchants from countries you may not know, labels you might not know, from grape varieties or blends which are new consumers and trade, some with distributors in London, others seeking distribution - they brought their bottles to London for the trade to sample.  

First, the competition open to everybody. See the cap on bottles of Brazilian wines in supermarkets. The grand prize is at the end of the competition next year. But every month you've a chance to win another prize such as a tee-shirt or glasses or wine. Below in my picture you can see the amusing promotional plastic flute shapes in green and yellow. 

winesofbrasil.com

  

From India, Soul Tree wines, including
a sweet rose Zinfandel.



From Wines of Israel, lots of wineries in Israel send wines to the UK and if you ever visit Israel email wineries in the Netanya and Galilee areas if you want to visit them and taste the wines. If you are have ever been looking for a kosher wine for a kiddish or a bar mitzvah, a Jewish festival, or Jewish guests, or might be, or just want to try new wines from the old bible lands -
Kedemeurope.com
largest Israeli wine distributor in the UK, the catalogue said, also importer of upscale wines, proclaimed by wine critics Robert Parker and Oz Clarke


Bulgarian and Croatian wines from importer
www.pactaconnect.co.uk
Supplies sommeliers, on and off-trade and independent merchants.



Romanian Winegrowers
romanian-winegrowers.com

I tasted wine from Halewood Romania La Umbra Pino Grigio 2013, Romania (W=White).
The vineyard is near to and donates to the bear rescue sanctuary.

The Halewood Romania Rhein Extra Brut Rose NV (NV=non vintage, applied to sparkling wine or port) Romania SP (SP=sparkling)

This winery has an unusual upstairs wine 'cellar' in the mountainside. It is in Azuga near Brasov near Dracula's castle - so enjoy your drink but stay as sober as you can, just in case!













I love the location of the Wednesday 3rd September 2014 wine tasting event which was conveniently centrally located, at 8 Northumberland Avenue, few steps away from: Charing Cross underground station/Southern Rail overground; on the south side of Trafalgar Square; opposite the Sherlock Holmes pub.
   The hotel is a delightful mix of traditional and modern. The hotel's exterior looks traditional but Boyds Bar is facing the entrance, and modern corridors, all black and silver and glass, lead to downstairs function rooms with the traditional pillars sparking clean and white and modern.

The first masterclass was wines of Lebanon.

The second was Brazil.


A further event for the trade to taste wines is at SITT Autumn 2014, 24th Sept, 10.30-6 pm, Lindley Hall at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London.
twitter.com/tastings
facebook.com/sittastings
emergingregionstasting.com
harpers.co.uk


Displaying at the show were:
hallgartendruitt.co.uk
yakata.bg from Bulgaria
kayrawines.com from Turkey



CHINESE WINE
thechinesewinecompany.co.uk - I spoke to Kevin Gale who is planning tasting events at London/UK restaurants ready for a grand launch of Chinese wines for Chinese New Year (lunar cycle) in 2015. The wines are likely to include grapes such as Chardonnays, Syrahs, and Cabernet Sauvignons, with attractive and memorable names evoking the Chinese landscape and culture such as Great River Chateau Nine Peaks, Silver Heights The Summit,  King Chateau ... Jade Spring, and Dragon's Hollow.

(Come back to this blog post for more links later.)