"Chimichurri means friendship, and in Argentina, this has a meaning that does not exist in other places of the world," said Eduardo Massa Alcantara, an Argentine chef and a TV host. According to him, friends meet for a beer in England and coffee in Italy, but in Argentina, people invite each over for an asado. And they gather to barbecue despite the polarising political beliefs that are prevalent in the country due to its nine bankruptcies since becoming independent from Spain in 1816 and tensions between left-wing populist and right-wing dictatorial beliefs.