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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A Little Venezuelan Donkey on the Way to Bethlehem

Christmas cuteness at its finest: El Burrito Sabanero is not about food, but a favorite Christmas song in Latin America. Burro in Spanish means donkey, and burrito is little donkey. El Burrito Sabanero is about a boy who rides his little donkey to Bethlehem to see the niño Jesús.

This famous Venezuelan Christmas song, written by Hugo Blanco, gets played with about the same frequency as “Silent Night” does in the U.S. El Burrito is a joyful staple at elementary school Christmas recitals. The song is so precious that it’s not even necessary to know Spanish to enjoy it — but it has been translated.

El Burrito Sabanero has been covered by many artists, a few of which are below:

The latest version is by Incaptepec, a Latin-style jazz band. Click here for an article and the song.

Here is an adorable hip hop version by the Puerto Rican boy band Tick Tock:

The cuteness continues with a bilingual version by Bachata group, Aventura, from the Dominican Republic:

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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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Joropo, The Soul of Venezuela

Joropo is a big part of life in the rural plains region of the Venezuelan llanos. The name “joropo” encompasses a broad spectrum of Venezuelan cultural forms; from dress and poetry to dance and music.

Joropo is authentically Venezuelan, and its influence reaches far beyond the llanos. The music can now be heard everywhere, from the tunnels of the Caracas Metro, to the petroleum fields of Barinas, to the beaches of Choroni.  Venezuelan school children learn how to dance joropo and showcase their accomplishments at ferias (festivals) wearing traditional clothing such as the liquiliqui.

This particular style of folk music features the four-stringed Venezuelan cuatro,  the harp, the mandolin, and maracas. The instruments can vary by region, but joropo has an unmistakable sound and irresistible rhythm that invites listeners to dance and stomp their feet.

“Alma Llanera” is likely the most beloved joropo of all — many consider it an unofficial national anthem. Listen to a version by Simon Diaz here. Also, check out this video from a dance competition in Guárico State:

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Venezuela Hosts Ninth International Circus Festival

Caracas is full of clowns. And acrobats. And jugglers. Yesterday marked the start of the ninth annual International Circus Festival of Venezuela.

According to TeleSur, it includes performances by artists from Chile, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Italy, as well as seven different groups of performers from Venezuela. The event runs until Sunday and includes free shows for the public.

A series of workshops and discussions will also be held at the festival to gather ideas for how to improve the circus arts in Venezuela. We have written before about an initiative to create a national circus. It seems that plans are continuing, and with any luck, the country will soon be defying the laws of gravity as never before.

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Happy Independence Day, Wherever You Are!

Feliz Dia de Independencia!

July 5th marked the 197th anniversary of Venezuela’s independence from Spain. In honor of that event, we invite readers to send pictures of themselves holding the Venezuelan flag to venworld (at) veninfo.org

The best ones will be posted on this site. Be sure to tell us your name and where the picture was taken.

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Public Art in Caracas Evokes Popular History

Venezuelans know their history. This fact is emphasized in a Florida Times-Union column today that describes a guided visit to a mural in Caracas that depicts many aspects of the past. The author was hosted by Global Exchange, which does “reality tours” in Latin America.

Here is an excerpt: “It begins with pictures of its original inhabitants, the Arawak, Carib and Chibcha Indians, to depictions of Spanish conquistadors and African slaves. There were depictions of icons like Simon Bolivar, who led Venezuela in gaining its independence from Spain, as well as scenes of poverty and other modern day challenges. … What got to me, though, was how the art drew so many people off the streets and into a conversation.”

Does the mural sound familiar? It can be seen outside of the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas. Or just look closer — its beautiful imagery is pictured on the header of this blog.

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Venezuela’s Famous Four-Stringed “Cuatro”

Venezuela’s national instrument, the cuatro, is currently on display at the House of Venezuelan History (Casa de Estudio de la Historia de Venezuela). This cultural institution is a library and exhibition center set in a beautiful old colonial mansion in downtown Caracas. It is an appropriate place to feature the cuatro, which also has historical significance in Venezuela.

The four-stringed cuatro is the modern version of a renaissance-era instrument popular in Portugal and Spain. It was brought to the Caribbean in the colonial period, and became an important ingredient in folkloric music in Venezuela. In the countryside, the cuatro holds the melody in llanera ballads, which recount epic stories.

According to a description of the musical group Cuatro Trio, “the sound of the cuatro is as light and airy as the diminutive instrument itself, played with quick strumming, lightweight bursts of sound, and shifting intervals, emphasizing both rhythm and bright harmonies characteristic of Venezuelan folk music.”

Want to hear it for yourself? Check out Cheo Hurtado, one of Venezuela’s most famous cuatro players, and download songs by his band, Ensamble Gurrufío.

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Venezuelan Music Tip: Los Vasallos del Sol

What does Venezuela sound like? The best answer to this question is perhaps provided by the band Los Vasallos del Sol (in English, “Vassals of the Sun”). This 25-member group interprets diverse musical traditions that speak of local heritage in many different parts of the country, from the Afro-Venezuelan rhythms of the Caribbean coast to the llanera ballads of the inland plains.

Formed in 1990, Los Vasallos have recorded five albums to date, most recently the 15-year anniversary disc, Quince años (2005). While in the past they were solely supported by the private sector, now they also receive government support and exemplify Venezuela’s new vision of cultural inclusiveness. They are best heard live, for their drumming, dancing, and costumes will dazzle spectators and inform them about Venezuelan culture.

Luckily for us, Los Vasallos are taking their act on tour in the U.S. next week and will be performing in San Francisco, Washington DC, and Houston. For details on these concerts, visit the Venezuela in Your Town section of this blog.

For a sneak peek at Los Vasallos, watch a video here or listen to their song “Malembe de Mendoza” here.

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Venezuela’s Traditional “Burning of Judas”

In Venezuela, as in many other Catholic countries around the world, Easter Sunday has historically been celebrated with the “Quema de Judas,” or the burning of an effigy of the traitorous apostle from the Bible, Judas.

According to some, the activity allows worshipers to let out resentment, anger, or other negative feelings, which are symbolically destroyed with the burning of the figure of Judas. Participants strive to make the most grotesque version of the Biblical man, which is then displayed in a public plaza. Sometimes, the effigy is made to resemble an individual — often a politician — disliked by the community.

Although the ritual is no longer practiced very widely, it has been memorialized as an important part of folk traditions in Venezuela. For example, the painting shown above portrays the “quema de judas” in a rural town in what looks like the Andean countryside.

Of course, the “Quema de Judas” also remains a part of Venezuela’s living culture. For many communities of faith, it is still a meaningful practice in the present day. At right, the event is celebrated in a modest urban neighborhood.

To read about the “Quema de Judas” in the Caracas neighborhood of El Cementerio, click here (English) or here (Spanish). It seems that this year, locals dressed up their Judas to look like “Mr. Exxon,” complete with a business suit, a tie, and dark sunglasses.

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