The Venezuelan Arepa

faiber (55)in #food • 8 years ago (edited)

To speak of Arepa, is to speak of Venezuela ... Part of our culture and of the table of each day, it is our most autochthonous culinary expression, it is the benefactor of our daily bread.

The arepa is a national expression, in any city of Venezuela can be found. Its preparation goes back to the time of the Indians, who sowed, collected and processed the corn. It is the result of a dough made of cooked and ground corn, the natives grind it between two smooth, flat stones and then create small balls that roast in an "aripo" (a kind of curved iron made in clay, which used for cooking, we also know a variation of this as "budare") of the name of this utensil derives the word "Arepa", now iron plates and grills are used to roast the arepitas at home or restaurants.

La Arepa is a loyal companion of the Venezuelan and can be found in the most honorable table, as well as in the humblest, in any corner of the city, or in the smallest of towns, in restaurants and houses.

La Arepa is the queen of our breakfasts, and at the same time an excellent companion of first courses in lunches and dinners, she is a faithful companion of our national dishes.

The arepa is shown with different characteristics in the different regions of the country, but in essence it is the same and unique arepa. The very finite are called "telitas" and are typical of the Andean region, the gorditas and abombaditas, are used to prepare in the central region; large, fried or roasted, usually found in the east. They prepare arepas of chicharrón, and sweet arepitas that have a light aniseed flavor, they arepas "peladas" with ashes, that are mainly by the west of the country.

They usually eat stuffed with cheese and butter, roasted or roasted meat, with ham or with almost anything you can think of. A freshly roasted arepa stuffed with a llanero cheese from Apure or a juicy cheese, brings glory to the palate of those who taste it; Accompanied with buttermilk, with parrot that Venezuelans like so much, or fried beans and roasted meat, you get a wonderfully typical breakfast.

From the same mass from which the arepas are obtained, we find that other dishes are obtained that are typical in Venezuela, such as the bollitos de masa: buns boiled in very hot water, which are usually eaten at breakfast with cheese and butter. The hallaquitas: bollitos covered with leaves of corn and boiled in very hot water; the pelones buns: bollitos of mass stuffed of meat boiled or fried; they are made empanadas, stuffed with cheeses stews of meat, chicken or fish, etc, and fried in abundant hot oil.

This dough is used in the preparation of various appetizers, balls, pies, bollitos and small arepitas. It is added in the form of small balls to some soups. The corn dough colored with onoto and flavored when kneading with chicken broth, is the first to show its bright color when we open one of our most requested culinary delights: La Hallaca; the dough is spread on banana leaves serving as a bed and blankets all the wonderful components that make up the filling of the hallaca ... It is also the main component of the Creole Polenta. Countless uses we give to the dough that is obtained from corn, but definitely among all the queen is the Arepa.

Recipe for: Scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, flavored with different species or herbs according to the region of the country.

Grilled arepas

To obtain some golden and cramped arepas, few ingredients are used, it is kneading and cooking which requires attention, (currently precooked corn flour is found in all supermarkets, since it is part of the basic diet of the Venezuelan, and is what we use in the preparation of the arepas daily).

Ingredients

(For 4 or 6 arepas)

2 cups Precooked White Corn Flour
1 teaspoon salt
Water
Oil

Preparation

Pour approximately one and a half cups of water into a bowl, add the salt and a little oil, add the flour progressively, diluting it in the water, avoiding lumps, knead with flour and water until you get a flour. soft dough that does not stick to hands. Form medium balls and flatten them creating a slightly thick and symmetrical round. Heat a griddle and grease it with a little oil, place the arepas and cook on both sides, (until they detach themselves from the griddle), then take the previously heated oven to 350º and leave them until they are knocked out and sound them to "hollow", and become bulging and golden. They are served at the moment, accompanied or stuffed with cheeses, butter, stews, meats, beans, scrambled eggs, etc. At breakfast or dinner, it will be a magnificent encounter with the customs of Venezuelan cuisine.