Torta pascualina

The torta pascualina, a savory spinach pie, enjoys popularity in both Argentina and Uruguay.

Traditionally eaten during Lent, this meatless dish contains a number of eggs, a Christian symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The eggs are cracked directly into the flavorful filling of spinach and ricotta cheese, and after a stint in the oven, they emerge as hardboiled eggs baked into the pie.

Although associated with the period leading up to Easter, in Uruguay, Pascualina can be enjoyed year-round, and not just around Easter time. Nutritive and easy to preserve, it can be found everywhere, from bakeries to street food stalls or cafes.

Taken into Argentina and Uruguay by Italian immigrants during the great immigration wave of the early twentieth century, torta pascualina is now part of the culinary heritage of these two countries in the same way as dulce de leche, vitel toné (vitello tonnato) or milanesa.