Chimichurri: Of Spice and Spirit

Whats behind the name, childhood memories and everything in between

By Lorena Gadasi

Chimichurri…

I have always liked the way this word rolls off the tongue, as if when you say it something spicey happens, preparing the taste buds for the next step. Indeed, for me, the word, and its source, is very important.

As a child, my grandfather was famous for his chimichurri. He would always ask us if we wanted Jimmy’s churri on the meat. The strangeness of the words, its transmutation, created it’s own alchemy, and it never ceased to make me laugh.

Later, when I was a little older, I asked Grandpa what the origin of the word was, and I remember he gestured for me to sit next to him on the couch and the drama of it all was so compelling.

In short, I learnt in that moment that a word has no singular meaning- it has many branches and incarnations and each has its own weight and meaning.

Historically, the name chimichurri comes from a Basque (Spanish) source. But according to Grandpa, there was once an Irish immigrant to Argentina named James Mac Curry. To make it easier for South Americans to pronounce his name he became Jimmy Chury and one day in an attempt to make Worcestershire sauce he accidentally created something entirely different. Although this was not at all his intended outcome, everyone was excited about the sauce that came out. And so it was named Jimmy Chury after him, which later became the Spanish spelt Chimichurri.

So without any further delay, here is Grandpa Cello's famous chimichurri recipe, as handed down from the master Jimmy Chury;

Ingredients :

Half bundle of fresh coriander 

Half bundle of fresh parsley 

5 garlic pieces, peeled

1 gamba Red

Half glass Oil olive

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar ( worst case, use normal )

teaspoon Salt

teaspoon pepper She Gross / 1 pepper green

1 lemon Squeezed 

Method:

Chop all the vegetables chopped, I love to chop them coarse with a knife

Add the oil, lemon and the spices, to a blender and blend until mixed but still coarse.

Put in a sterilized glass jar 

Pro tip, I always make two batches and put one in the fridge and the rest in small portions in the freezer for later use.

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