Arepa Update: A Treat You Can Take Anywhere

The arepa is truly a food without borders. Though it is emblematic of Venezuela, the savory cornmeal snack has a presence abroad, too! Here are some suggestions for where to find arepas in the U.S.:

In New York, the Caracas Arepa Bar (pictured above) is located on 7th St. the East Village. Here, rumor has it you are nearly required to to try Venezuelan-style guacamole, called guasacaca. Rivals El Cocotero are over on West 18th St.

Lucky for folks in Boston, the up-and-coming Orinoco has two locations, one in the South End and another in Brookline.  They have a nice date-worthy ambiance and also sell t-shirts with funny slogans like “arepa boy” and “no se aceptan sifrinos!” (no snobs allowed!).

This may not be the policy at Coupa Cafe in Beverley Hills and Palo Alto, which claims to sell “the finest mountain grown single estate coffees from Venezuela.” It has an entire section of its menu dedicated to gourmet arepas.

Surely Miami is home to the highest density of Venezuelan eateries, but we recommend you try this one first: Caballo Viejo (named for a famous folkloric song by Simon Diaz ) has been described as a “hole-in-the-wall” and a “mom and pop” restaurant that is clean and simple.

Where else do you like to eat arepas? Let us know in the comments section.

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Sunflowers on the Rise in Venezuela

Sunflowers (girasol in Spanish) grow wild in Venezuela. They are a common sight in fields and on the sides of highways. Despite their beautiful abundance, Venezuela doesn’t produce much sunflower oil. The cultivation of sunflowers has languished for decades while the nation still largely relies on an imported supply of edible oil.

All of that is changing now, as Venezuela’s mission to achieve food sovereignty includes the cultivation and production of sunflowers. Sunflower production was up by 175 percent in the 2006-07 period, increasing from 5,600 tons to 15,500 tons.

President Chavez had this to say about the girasol:

Venezuela has a great potential to grow sunflower. I grew up among sunflowers, but the governments of AD and Copei (the two traditional parties in Venezuela until the late 90′s) put an end to sunflower production (…) They chose to import edible oil… now we have reduced imports. There will come a day when Venezuela will export this product rather than importing it.”

To achieve that goal, the Venezuelan government will build an industrial compound in Turén, Portuguesa state, which includes a sunflower oil processing plant. Portuguesa has particularly impressive sunflower crops.

Use these links to read more in English or in Spanish.

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More Than a Pancake: Venezuelan Cachapas

Thanks to the Miami Herald today, we have a lesson in how to make the Venezuelan dish called the cachapa. This is a savory pancake made of corn that is eaten with mild white cheese and makes a tasty snack. The recipe that appears in the Herald is from the book The South American Table.

In Venezuela, the best cachapas are usually grilled to a golden brown on a large, flat budare like the one pictured here.

The cachapa is said to come from Venezuela’s indigenous heritage, particularly in the interior of the country. Corn was an important staple food for many Native American communities.

It is also the main ingredient in another Venezuelan snack that remains popular today; the singular arepa.

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Venezuela Celebrates the International Year of the Potato

2008 is the International Year of the Potato, and the UN created a cookbook for the occasion, “The Potato: Around the Globe in 200 Recipes.” The potato is native to Latin America, and is now eaten and grown all over the world.

Venezuela submitted a recipe for sancocho, a traditional stew made with veal, chicken, potato, and banana. A favorite at family gatherings, it yeilds large quantities and feeds a lot of people.

One giant Venezuelan sancocho made the Guinness Book of World Records in September 2007, when portions of the world’s largest stew were given out to spectators in Caracas.

As the year of the potato comes to a close, try your own sancocho recipe, and invite all your friends to share!

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Caracas, Venezuela: A Guide to Enjoying a Fabulous City

Thinking of visiting Caracas? For travel insights, check out Thom Walker’s “Insider’s Guide to Caracas” in this week’s Spectator. The detailed article features historical attractions, restaurants, cultural events, and entertainment. For those who like to dance the night away, or just want to learn a few steps, he recommends El Maní, a world famous caraqueño salsa club. History buffs are guided to the Plaza Bolívar in the heart of the city. “The Insider’s Guide to Caracas” offers great ideas and practical advice to enjoy the fun and flavor of fabulous Caracas.

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Venezuela Runs on Arepas

Meet the arepa, a staple food in Venezuela. Arepas are flat, round cakes that are best eaten at any time of the day or night.

There are many versions — grilled, baked, or fried, and made of corn or wheat. The cooked arepa is sliced open and stuffed with fillings like veggies, meat, cheese or scrambled eggs to make a self-contained sandwich.

In Caracas, arepas have many nicknames. At 24-hour areperas,  partygoers line up to feast on a “Reina Pepiada,” (chicken salad and avacado) rumored to be a favorite of a former Miss Universe. A plain arepa is called a viuda or “widow,” because it’s all alone. A chicken and cheese arepa is called catira or “blondie,” for its yellow color.

The late-night areperas, like Misia Jacinta in the Caracas neighborhood of Chacaito, are great gathering places where talented local musicians often come together to jam. In Caracas, you can have an arepa at each meal and never eat the same kind twice!

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