Betsy from Atlanta made her Buenos Aires debut in April – and what did she stockpile? That’s right, alfajores. This perfectly circular Argentinian food, pronounced “alpha whore” in its singular format (not my gag, but I whip it out when I can) embodies everything Argentinians relish putting in their mouths. Is it a cake? Is it a biscuit? Who cares? An alfajor can combine chocolate, dulce de leche, meringue, coconut, icing sugar, jam and even mousse – it would be an all-encompassing meal if only it had a meaty filling. Now there’s a thought…

As any armchair linguist knows, Spanish words beginning with “al” have Arabic roots and this favourite sweet Argentinian food is no exception, coming from the Hispano-Arabic al-hasú for “the filling.” Although this sentiment clearly refers to the middle bit of this cake-biscuit (biscake, anyone?), an alfajor is certainly, in my case, a mission I think twice about undertaking – just the half for me.

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