Matambre a la Pizza

A 1970s Argentine bar-grill invention that takes the Italian-immigrant pizza vocabulary and substitutes beef crust for dough — purely a national mashup, no European antecedent. It became fixed at parrilla restaurants as a dish for the customer who wants pizza energy in a meat-driven setting. The cut name matambre means "hunger killer," because gauchos grilled it first while waiting for the longer cuts.

1970s parrilla-bar invention with no European antecedent — pure Italian-Argentine mashup. Matambre means hunger killer because gauchos grilled this thin flank cut while waiting for the longer cuts to finish.

A thin sheet of beef (matambre, the cut between hide and ribs) grilled flat, then topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella and held over heat until the cheese melts. Sometimes finished with green olive and oregano. Served as a slab or cut into squares. The beef should still have some chew; if the meat went rubbery, the grill was too hot.

Matambre is thin (under 2 cm) and connective-tissue-rich, which means it cooks fast but goes tough if pushed past medium. The trick is grilling the beef most of the way before topping; then the cheese-melting phase is short and the meat doesn't dry out. Ordering it well-done gets you a leather floor with cheese on top, which defeats the design.