A staple at football matches, family barbecues and political demonstrations, Argentina’s popular sausage sandwich, the choripán, has changed little in 170 years. Until now. The simple concept of a grilled pork chorizo – sliced in half, slapped in a roll and slathered in spicy chimichurri sauce – is going through a gourmet makeover.

The parrilla (grill) at Chori

Chori, Buenos Aires’ first establishment to deal exclusively in artisanal sausages, has given the classic chori de cancha (soccer sausage) a twist, using new flavours such as red hot (rocoto chilli, tomato, ginger) and veggie (aubergine, spinach, goat’s cheese, honey); regional lamb has a Middle Eastern flavour, topped with yoghurt, red onion, cucumber and mint instead of chimichurri. And with guest chefs such as Gonzalo Alderete Pagés from Perón Perón popping up every fortnight, Chori’s menu is fluid.

Los Infernales

Although purists might consider these newfangled creations to be sacrilegious, Chori, in Palermo Soho, sells 250 sandwiches a day, with punters keen to sample a different banger for their buck.

While the yellow facade and neon sausage lighting attracts hungry hipsters, chef Pedro Peña says this Argentine sandwich is popular with everyone: pensioners, families and couples all drop by for a fix.

Chori isn’t the only place giving the choripán a makeover. Meat specialist Los Infernales also produces gourmet sausage sandwiches, including one made from ñandú (rhea), while last month the team behind Nerca meat feasts hosted Buenos Aires Chori, the first dedicated choripán festival.

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