Grilled meat at Montevideo’s old port market

Many people visit Montevideo’s Mercado del Puerto for grilled meat. The market opened on 10 October 1868, and the components of its metal structure were made in Liverpool. Today it is known for its parrillas, grills where meat cooks over a fire. Locals and travellers meet beneath the old roof, coming to see the building as well as to sit down for a meal.

In this context, parrilla means a grill. The 1868 date refers to the market’s opening, rather than the invention of any steak. The building’s history and its current food culture belong to different periods.