Pame
1 November 2019
Know your Arepa
The Arepa is a traditional flat corn cake that you can eat for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner, making it an essential food for many. It can be fried, baked, fried and baked, grilled or steamed. It can be a side or a main, have fillings or toppings, making it without a doubt one of the most versatile Latin-American dishes.
The origins of Arepa are in the northern region of South America in pre-Columbian times, where nowadays we find Colombia and Venezuela. This is perhaps why both countries have a friendly rivalry on who makes them better. Without the intention of feeding the fire here are some examples of both types of Arepa:
Venezuelan Arepas
Even inside both countries we can find different types and fillings for Arepas, but in a general sense Venezuelan Arepas are crispy on the outside and soft and creamy in the centre, and are used to make sandwiches. There is a big array of fillings including meat, cheese, beans, banana, chicken, seafood, avocado, and more. One of the most famous is the “Pelúa” (Hairy) with juicy, tender pulled beef and filled with heaps of cheddar cheese.
Colombian Arepas
Colombian Arepas on the other hand are usually a bit thinner than Venezuelans and have toppings instead of fillings like butter, egg or cheese; although sometimes they would be cooked with cheese in the middle. While in Venezuela there are many types of fillings, Colombians have many types of dough. You can find them sweet or savoury, or even white or yellow.
A favourite one is the “Arepa con Queso” (Arepa with cheese) for breakfast with a side of Colombian hot cocoa, which is cocoa with melted cheese.
With recent immigration movements due to the political crisis in South America you can now find Arepas in many countries making them in one of the favourite Latin-American street foods.
Independent of their type, origin, colour, filling or topping we can all agree that they are DELICIOUS and represent the flavours and traditions of their beautiful people.
What is your favourite type of Arepa?
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