Best Buys

Best Buys

Mate for Two. Even if you don't see yourself drinking mate (tea made from a South American shrub) every day, the drink's paraphernalia make unusual souvenirs. You could fork over hundreds of dollars for one of Juan Carlos Pallarols's ornate silver kits (a drinking vessel and metal straw), but the kid-size sets at Recursos Infantiles or La Pescadería go for 40 pesos, include a mini kettle and thermos and are easier to pack. Although the best boxy leather mate bags (for carrying thermos and vessel) sell at La Feria de Mataderos, another market, for 70 pesos and up, at La Feria de la Recoleta, simple vessels made from gourds start at 5 pesos. Supermarkets sell mate; Rosamonte, one of many brands, costs 4 pesos.

Dressing to Match. You've come to Argentina, you've been to the fútbol stadium, and you've seen a match—what's left to do? Buy a T-shirt. Go neutral with the pale-blue and white national team shirt, or choose a local team's colors. Código Fútbol (Juncal 1502, La Recoleta) sells a great range of shirts; prices start at 75 pesos.

Football at Your Fingertips. The chances of seeing the nation's soccer hero, Diego Armando Maradona, in action are slim, but get your hands—or thumbs, rather—on his greatest moment with the photo flipbook El Gol del Siglo. It shows his famous goal against England in the 1986 World Cup, and sells for 19 pesos at the MALBA book shop and Prometeo.

Comic Relief. It may be unfamiliar to you, but the classic '60s cartoon strip "Mafalda" is close to the heart of all Argentines. The idealistic little girl it stars is an icon, and most downtown kioscos de diarios (newsstands) sell the flimsy Ediciones de la Flor collections of the strip for around 15 pesos. Alternatively, Prometeo often stocks pricier English translations.

Sweet Stuff. It's brown, goopy, and sickly sweet…but you know you want more dulce de leche (a spread made from sweetened condensed milk). All supermarkets stock such popular brands as La Serenísima (3 pesos), or go to one of the many Havanna café-shops (they proliferate the city like Starbucks branches in Seattle) for a posh glass jar (10 pesos). Havanna's alfajores (chocolate-covered dulce-de-leche-filled cookies) are also sure to earn you fans back home (16 pesos for 12).

The Best Cuts. Sneaking a bloody steak in your suitcase won't work. A more packable souvenir of is the traditional asado knife. Practical wood- or horn-handled knives are available at most markets starting at around 50 pesos, depending on blade quality (surgical steel is best if you intend to actually use the knife). Silver and alpaca are often used to decorate the hilt and sheath of the more elaborate knives sold for much heftier prices at silversmiths like Platería Parodi.

Wine-ing Away the Hours. Argentina is the world's fifth-largest wine producing country. Although a bottle of award-winning red stuff like Catena Zapata might stretch to hundreds of dollars, other excellent wines include Trapiche's Fond de Cave Malbec Reserva, available for around 25 pesos from Ligier as well as most major supermarkets.