The word 'chivito' means 'little goat'. There is no goat in it at all. The name comes from a story: in the 1940s, a customer at a small restaurant in Punta del Este asked the chef for 'a little goat sandwich', like she had eaten on holiday somewhere else. The chef had no goat. He made her a sandwich with everything else he had in the kitchen - and the chivito was born.
The bun is important. It needs to be soft enough to squash down, but strong enough not to fall apart when you pick it up. Uruguayan bakers make a special slightly sweet bun called a 'pan de chivito' that is wider and flatter than a normal burger bun, so all the layers fit in.
Almost every caf茅 in Uruguay has its own version. Some add a slice of red pepper. Some add palm hearts or beetroot. Some come with chips on the side, some with potato salad. Eating chivitos in different towns becomes a kind of friendly competition - 'this one is better than the one we had in Salto!'
Children growing up in Uruguay learn early that you cannot eat a chivito without making a mess. Bits fall out. Sauce drips. Everyone uses napkins. Families often share one between two, with a glass of fresh lemonade. It is exactly the kind of food meant to be eaten together on a long Sunday afternoon.