Empanadas Tucumanas

Empanadas tucumanas are filled pastries associated with Tucumán in northern Argentina. A round disc of dough is folded over a meat filling and sealed along the curved edge with a repulgue, a series of hand-made pleats. A classic filling uses matambre, a beef cut, together with white onion, spring onion and hard-boiled egg. Cumin and paprika season the mixture, and chilli may be added. The chopped pieces of meat remain a defining feature of this preparation.^[1]

In a traditional preparation, the matambre is boiled before being cooled and diced. Its broth is used in the filling and can also moisten the flour-and-beef-fat dough. The assembled empanadas are associated with clay ovens, although conventional oven baking and frying are also practiced. Famaillá, known as Argentina's National Capital of the Empanada, holds the National Empanada Festival each September. A competition at the festival recognises a champion empanada maker.^[1][2]