The discussion in Argentina is usually summarized in a simple question: Is the best empanada in Tucuman or Salta? The latest ranking from Taste Atlasa global platform dedicated to highlighting and evaluating traditional cuisine from around the world, clearly leaned toward one of the two poles of empanadera crack: placed at tucuman empanadas ranked number one on their list of the 100 Best Stuffed Savory Doughs (savory pastries) of the planet.
In section “The best savory pastries in the world”TasteAtlas places Tucumán Empanadas at the top of the rankings, with a Rating of 4.4 out of 5over such symbolic preparations as the Pazarske Mantije from Serbia, the Sirnica from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Karipap from Malaysia or the Focaccia di Recco with cheese from Italy. The list was updated on December 8, 2025 and is based on reviews from platform users. It has its own filters to exclude bots, nationalist biases and unreliable voices.
As TasteAtlas itself explains, its rankings are based on thousands of viewer reviews – in this case more than 11,000, of which just over 6,000 were considered legitimate – and “Should not be viewed as a final global conclusion on food”but as a possibility “Promote great local dishes, instill pride in traditional recipes and stimulate curiosity about what hasn’t been tried before.”.
The logic is the same that has already placed Argentine gastronomy at the center of other recent lists, from sandwiches to cookies.
TasteAtlas is like a kind of world encyclopedia of flavors, with an interactive map that locates each dish in its place of origin and aims to preserve and spread the traditional cuisine of different countries. This combination of data platform and gastronomic history triggers heated debates every time a new ranking is published: this has already happened with the list of the 50 best cookies in the world – where the Argentine alfajor won – and with the 100 best sandwiches, which also included several local references.
What does TasteAtlas save from Tucumán empanadas? In the description accompanying the first position, the guide emphasizes that it is a specialty of the Tucumán province, different from many empanadas in Buenos Aires. It is striking that in their traditional version they are prepared in an artisan way, with a dough made from wheat flour and cow fat, thin but resistant, to achieve a crispy shell and a balance between dough and filling. The interior can be meat, chicken or tripe, accompanied by onions, hard-boiled egg, peppers and cumin, and the ideal cooking is in a clay oven.
The guide also recommends how to eat them: piping hot, in multiple portions and – if possible – with a glass of local wine on the side. In the same section, TasteAtlas points out some of the recommended places to try it outside of Tucumán, such as 1810 Cocina Regional, La Aguada or La Tucumanita, all in Argentina, considered “best restaurants” for this variety.
The reference to Salta does not appear in any line of the ranking, but ignores the local interpretation. At the Argentine table, the debate over which is the “legitimate” empanada typically pits defenders of the Tucumán version against those who swear by the Salta version, and each side argues with nuances of size, juiciness, type of meat, or level of spiciness.
The TasteAtlas list does not resolve this internal dispute, nor does it compare provincial styles: it simply rewards one of the regional versions, Tucumán, as the best preparation of stuffed salt dough among a hundred options in the world.
As with the ranking of alfajores or sandwiches, the impact of the list will probably be felt more in the after-dinner and on social networks than in the kitchen: for many global readers, this will be the first time they have heard of an empanada from Tucumán; For the Argentines, however, it will be another argument – and not necessarily the decisive one – in a discussion that is repeated at every family meeting.
In fact, TasteAtlas insists on this point: Their lists are intended above all to arouse enthusiasm for traditional dishes and to stimulate the desire to travel and eat.rather than dictating an absolute truth about which empanada is “the best in the world.”
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