Region |
Uruguay |
Country |
Uruguay |
Climate and soil |
In the northern part of the country the climate is subtropical while in the south it is Mediterranean offering weather conditions very similar to those in Italy and Spain. The average annual temperature is 17.5 °C. The hottest month is January, with an average temperature of 21 °C. The coldest month is June (average 6 °C). |
History |
Before European colonisation, the only documented population that inhabited present-day Uruguay was the Charrúas, a small tribe pushed south by the Guaraní of Paraguay. Their population did not exceed 5,000 to 10,000. The Spanish arrived in the territories of present-day Uruguay in 1516, but fierce resistance to the conquest from the local population, coupled with an apparent lack of gold and silver, severely limited settlement in the 16th and 17th centuries. Uruguay became an area of contention between the Spanish and Portuguese Empires; in 1603 the Spanish introduced cattle, the breeding of which became a very important source of economic wealth. |
Typical dishes |
Uruguayan cuisine is the result of a fusion of Spanish and Italian cuisine; in fact, the country's diet was influenced much more by the colonists than by the traditions of the Amerindians. Uruguayan cuisine is mainly characterised by the use of meat, mainly beef but also chicken, lamb, pork and fish. |