On the very last day of March the group of volunteers who had arrived in December, had an intercultural evening – to introduce our countries, to introduce our typical foods. There were also invited members of host organisation, and teachers and students, who we had been working with until this far. Not many of them showed up, but it was better this way – more food for us!
For the cuisine part we thought to have one ingredient in common – potato. There were several reasons, from that I don't know how to cook anything else besides potatoes, to keeping the low budget. Countries' presentations part had also a little surprise – countries weren't presented by the ones who are from this country, but by other countries. Fortuna picked Uruguay for me, and I'd like to share my knowledge and find-outs with the rest of the world.
URUGUAY is situated in the Eastern part of South America, neighboured by Brazil and Argentina. The Republica Oriental de Uruguay is named after its geographic location to the east of Uruguay river. Name of the river, 'Uruguay', derives from Native American Guarani language, meaning 'river of the painted birds'. The origins of the capital's name Montevideo are not clear – according to two theories it was a Portugese sailor, who said "Monte vide eu" on his first trip to this area, or it derives from Spanish navigator's notebook, which said "Monte VI D.E.O.", meaning it was the sixth mountain he counted along the route.
Uruguay was created as a buffer state between Spanish-speaking Argentina and Portugese-speaking Brazil. The capital Montevideo, where lives 43% of the population today, was founded by the Spanish in 1726 as military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbour to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina, but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1818 after a three-year struggle.
Today, over 90 percent of all Uruguayans are of European ancestry. Uruguayan kitchen includes beef and many Italian fods such as pizza and pastas. Besides Spanish and Italian influence there are also strong connections with Franxe, and many people speak French better than English. It excends so far that two well-known French poets are actually Uruguayan origin – Jules Supervielle and Conde de Lautreamont. Also French author Alexandre Dumas wrote one of his novels, titled "The New Troy" about Uruguay.
Uruguayans also have strongest democratical traditions among Spanish speaking South American countries, and highest literacy (it means the people who can read and write) rate, greatest degree of social and gender equality in the entire region.
Territorial size of Uruguay is around 176,200 square kilometers. Population of Uruguay is 3,477,778 people, from which 1,3 million lives in the capital. Official language is Spanish and currency used is Uruguayan peso (UYU). Climate is warm and temperate, Uruguay's natural resources include hydropower, minerals, arable lands and fisheries. Main industries in the country include food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals and beverages. Nominally main religion is Catholic, but actually there is not much public evidence of religious commitment.
Though Uruguay is claimed to be a really artificial country and there is nothing really authentically Uruguayan, there are some things that can be said typical to this country:
THE CIUDAD VIEJA – The old town
Ciudad vieja is the name of the oldest part of Montevideo. It's now the area, where besides colonial Spanish and Italian buildings are most cafes, pubs and nightclubs are, and the main port is located there. Until 1829 it was surrounded by a wall that protected it from possible invasions. After the wall was torn down, the only part of it that was kept was its gateway, which is up to this day an emblem of this part of town.
BEACHES OF URUGUAY
Uruguay has the total 660 km of coastline, from what about 500 kilometres are full of attractive sandy beaches.
SANTA TERESA NATIONAL PARK
Santa Teresa fortress, the gate to the national park, played a key role in the history of this region during the 18th and 19th centuries. National park itself is a popular Sunday spending area.
CATTLE HERDING
Uruguay's terrain is characterized by rolling plains and fertile coastal lowland, which makes area ideal for cattleing. In Uruguay, cows outnumber people 5 to 1. Live stock and beef is also an important export article, but also causes some environmental issues, like water pollution from meat packing industry.
The first registered cow in Uruguay was recorded on September 28, 1910 in the Herd Book of the Asociación Rural del Uruguay. The cow was imported from England by Mr Frederico R. Vidiella, her name was “Welcome”.
CRIOLLO
The Criollo is descendant of indigenous wild horse from Iberian peninsula, brought to New World by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century.
The Criollo, native horse of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay, is outcome of natural selection under harsh conditions of life in the South American plains. South-American cowboy, gaucho, needs a good horse for cattleing work, and Criollo is the best. It's a medium-sized horse that looks no different than Spanish mustangs, with strong endurance qualities, and in spite of strong character it's easy to handle. This makes Criollo the most popular cow horse, but it has also shown excellent skills in modern equine sports.
FOOTBALL
is like the national sport in Uruguay. First World Cup championship was held in Uruguay in 1930, and according to some data in Internet, the soccer balls used were actually monkey skulls wrapped in paper and leather.
YERBA MATE
Although the Uruguayans have incorporated many aspects of European culture into their own, one practice is definately non-european – the drinking of an herb tea known as mate.
URUGUAYAN TANGO
Tango is usually associated with Argentina, though both claim the orgins to be theirs. Musicians from Rio de la Plata region brought it to Europe at the beginnings of 20th century.
„La Cumparsita“, written by Gerardo Matos Rodriguez, an Uruguayan musician, in 1917, is among the most famous and recognizable tango songs of all time. The title translates as „The little parade“, and the original lyrics begin: „The little parade of endless miseries...“. In Sydney Olympic games in 2000 the Argentina team marched to „La Cumparsita“, which started protests and official claims from the Uruguayan government.
LIGHTHOUSES
Along the coast heavy ship traffic is guarded by a series of lighthouses, which were build during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Active lightouses are owned by the navy.
(Fabio, Vicky & Nacho – if any part of information appears to be wrong, then the author, European Commission or ANPCDEFP (what is it anyway?) isn't responsible for it.)
