Traditional Venezuelan Food

Arepas, Empanadas and Pabellon Criollo - the National Dish!

Mar 12, 2009

Venezuela, which sits at the crossroads of South America and the Caribbean, has a wonderful and varied cuisine.

Here are some wonderful local foods -- from light snacks to filling main courses -- you may want to check out next time you’re in Venezuela:

Arepas: Arepas are small, round tortillas made from generally from corn flour. They’re then fried on a lightly oiled surface: traditionally, Venezuelans will use a budaré, a sort of skillet, but electric arepa-makers are becoming more common. In Venezuela, arepas are usually filled with cheese and served hot: they’re popular at roadside stands.

Cachapas: A sort of first cousin to the arepa, cachapas are flat, cornmeal-based pancakes also popular at roadside stands. They are served with butter and cheese spread on the top, sort of like an arepa with the cheese on the outside. In some areas, you’ll find them wrapped in leaves and boiled.

Empanada: Every country in South America has its own version of the empanada. They’re generally similar in that they’re dough folded over a mixture of meat, chicken, eggs and/or cheese and then cooked. Venezuelan empanadas are deep-fried, unlike those found in the southern Andes, which are generally baked. Venezuelan empanadas are stuffed with flavored ground beef or cheese or seafood on the coast. They make a great snack: get them from roving vendors, roadside stands or bakeries.

Tequeño: A simple snack, a tequeño is a piece of cheese wrapped in dough and then cooked (generally fried). They’re popular at parties and get-togethers and you can occasionally get them at restaurants. They get their name from the small city of Los Teques, which clams to have invented them.

Pabellón Criollo: The unofficial national dish of Venezuela, Pabellón criollo is a plate containing seasoned shredded beef, fried plantains, black beans (see below) and rice. The meat is slow cooked until tender, shredded and then cooked again in a tasty sauce that includes any combination of onions, garlic, peppers, tomato and spices. It’s available at most restaurants and should not be missed!

Perico (Venezuelan Scrambled Eggs): In Spanish, Perico means parrot, and is an apt name for this lively, colorful dish. It’s pretty simple: eggs scrambled with peppers, onions, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Many Venezuelans like to put hot sauce on their perico, but this is optional. It’s generally served for breakfast.

Caraotas Negras (black beans): Plentiful, cheap and tasty, black beans are very popular in Venezuela. Often they’re cooked and served as caraotas negras, a sort of runny, warm bean soup. Recipes differ from region to region and family to family, but most include cooking the beans for some time with any combination of pork, bacon, beef, onions, peppers or garlic and spices including cumin, salt, coriander or oregano. Some cooks add sugar. Caraotas negras make up part of the Pabellón Criollo, the national dish.

The copyright of the article Traditional Venezuelan Food in South American Food is owned by Christopher Minster. Permission to republish Traditional Venezuelan Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.