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Pancho

A Rioplatense classic where the sausage aggressively outgrows the bun.

Flag of UruguayOrigin: Montevideo, Rio de la Plata, Uruguay
Pancho illustrated hot dog icon

Origin region: Montevideo, Rio de la Plata, Uruguay

The anatomy

Vessel
Pan de Viena
Sausage
Salchicha de Viena
Region
Rio de la Plata
Ingredients

The Pancho is the street food anchor of Montevideo and Buenos Aires. It relies on a simple geometry trick: the Vienna-style sausage is deliberately longer than the soft bun, ensuring a naked bite of meat at both ends. It is dressed in Salsa Golf, warm sweet corn, and a heavy shower of potato matchsticks. Some vendors wrap the sausage in ham and melted cheese, creating the Pancho con Poncho variant.

Method

  1. 1Whisk equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup with a splash of lemon juice and a dash of Worcestershire sauce to create the Salsa Golf, then refrigerate.
  2. 2Whisk dry mustard powder, flour, cornstarch, salt, and white pepper in a saucepan, then slowly stir in white vinegar and Pilsen lager beer.
  3. 3Cook the mustard mixture over low heat, stirring continuously, until thickened into a warm, pourable sauce.
  4. 4Heat the canned sweet corn kernels in a pan with a small pat of butter and keep them warm.
  5. 5Poach the long Vienna sausages in simmering water for three to five minutes until plump.
  6. 6Steam the soft pan de Viena buns until warm and compressible.
  7. 7Slice the warm bun, place the hot sausage inside so the ends protrude, and add shredded mozzarella to melt.
  8. 8Spoon warm sweet corn along the side of the sausage, drizzle with Salsa Golf and the warm beer mustard, and smother with crispy shoestring potato sticks.

Sources

Controversies

Corporate food giant Heinz claimed to invent a new product called Mayochup in 2018, which is simply Salsa Golf.

Our take: Heinz tried to claim corporate ownership over a mixture Argentine chemist Luis Federico Leloir created at a golf club in the 1920s. Salsa Golf belongs to the Río de la Plata, not a boardroom.

The exact secret recipe for the beer-infused mustard served at Montevideo's La Pasiva is heavily disputed.

Our take: While locals trade conspiracy theories involving grated radish or satirical claims of bellybutton lint, the beer and dry mustard powder slurry is what actually works. Keep the radish out of it.

Uruguay and Argentina disagree on whether the word Pancho refers to the sausage alone or the entire assembled hotdog.

Our take: In Uruguay, the sausage itself is the pancho, meaning you must ask for pancho con pan to get a bun. In Argentina, the bun is assumed. It is a minor linguistic divide that mostly serves to confuse tourists.