Arepa

Shredded Meat Stuffed Arepa

The arepa is a part of traditional Venezuelan and Colombian cuisine, but has also become common in many other Latin American countries, and even in rest of the world. It is a kind of round and flat corn meal cake which can be cut and split opened like a hamburger or a sandwich, to then be filled with cheese, eggs and/or different kinds of meat and apperitives.

There are to ways to make the dough: the first one is using cooked and mashed soft corn; and the second and most easy, is buying pre-cooked arepa corn flour. The most popular brand of corn flour is called Harina P.A.N., made by venezuelan factories. The flour is mixed with water and salt (some people add eggs and/or milk). Then the arepas are fried, grilled or baked and after that they are ready to be served. Their preparation, however, depends of two main factors: one being the personal taste or preference, according to each individual; the second is the region in which they're made, besides the creole inventive, therefore giving a wide variety arepas:

• Typical corn arepa.
• Corn flour arepa (Arepa blanca).
• Wheat flour arepa (Preñaditas in the venezuelan slang).
• Arepa with sugar (Arepa dulce).
• Cheese arepa (Arepa de queso).
• Coconut arepa (Arepa de coco).
• Andean arepa (Arepa andina).
• Mandioc arepa (Arepa de yuca).
• Reina Pepeada (special arepa with avocado, chicken, potatoes, carrots, and mayonnaise, most popular among venezuelans).
• Baked arepas (Arepas horneadas).
• Fried arepas (Arepa frita).
• Arepa pelúa (arepa with yellow cheese and sliced meat).
• Arepa catira (arepa with yellow cheese and chicken)
• Arepa de chicharrón.

As an historic note, the arepa comes originally from a tribe from north-east Venezuela called the Cumanagotos.