The Venezuelan Arepa and its various flavors

 

Talk about the Arepa is talk of Venezuela... Part of our culture and the table each day, is our most native culinary expression, is the welfare our daily bread.

The arepa is a national expression, can be found in any city in Venezuela. Its preparation is back to our ancestors indigenous, that planted, collected and processed the corn. Is the result of a mass made of corn cooked and ground, them indigenous, it grinded between two stones smooth and plain and then created small balls that roasted in a "aripo", (species of iron a little curve made in mud, that is used for the cooking, also know a variation of this as "budare") of the name of this utensil derives the word "Arepa" now irons and iron grates are used for roasting the arepitas at home or in restaurants, although even the aripo of mud can be found.

The Arepa is a loyal companion of the Venezuelan and can find you in the most honorable table, as well as in the more humble, in any corner of the city, or in the smallest of villages, in restaurants and homes, or in the abundant catering for different Venezuelan cities.

The Arepa is the Queen of our breakfast, and excellent companion of first dishes at lunch and dinner, is faithful companion of our national dishes.

The arepa is shown with different characteristics in different regions of the country, but in essence it is the same singular arepa. The very thin they call them "telitas" and are typical of the Andean region, gorditas and abombaditas, are accustomed to prepare in the central region; big, fried or roasted, usually found in the East. Prepared pork Arepas, and arepitas sweet having a slight anise flavor, made arepas "peeled" with ash, which are mainly for the western part of the country.

Is usually eat stuffed with cheese and butter, meat shredded or roasted, with ham or with almost any thing that is you can occur. A freshly baked arepa filled with a llanero cheese of Apure or a juicy Guiana cheese, brings glory to the palate than the test; Accompanied with serum of milk, with perico * that both like to the Venezuelan, or beans fries and meat shredded, is get a breakfast beautifully typical.

Of the same mass of which obtained the arepas we find are other dishes that are typical in Venezuela, such as mass breadrolls: dumplings boiled in hot water, which are usually eaten for breakfast with butter and cheese. The hallaquitas: rolls covered with leaves of maize and boiled in hot water; the hairless rolls: rolls of dough stuffed with beef, boiled or fried; empanadas, stuffed with cheese stews of meat, chicken or fish, etc, are made and fried in hot oil.

Is used this mass in the preparation of appetizer and appetizers various, ball, pasties, rolls and arepitas small. It is added in the form of small pellets to some soups. The mass of corn colored with onoto and aromatized with dough hooks with chicken stock, is the first to look its bright colour when we opened one of our culinary delights most requested: the Hallaca; the mass stretches on banana leaves serve as bed and blanket to all the wonderful components that comprise the hallaca filling... It is also the main component of the Creole Polenta. An infinity of uses we give the mass which is obtained from corn, but definitely among all the Queen is the Arepa.

* Scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, perfumed with different species or herbs according to the region of the country.
Grilled Arepas

To get an abombaditas and gold arepas, few are the ingredients that are used, is the kneading and baking which requires a little bit of attention, (today is corn flour precooked in every supermarket, since it is part of the basic diet of the Venezuelan, and is that we use in the preparation of arepas everyday).
Ingredients

(For 4 or 6 arepas)
2 cups precooked white corn flour
1 teaspoon salt
Water
Oil
Preparation

Pour about a cup and a half of water in a bowl, add salt and a little oil, add the flour gradually diluting it in water, avoiding lumps, you knead with hands gradually adding flour and water until soft dough that does not stick to hands. Form medium-sized balls and flatten them creating a ring a bit chunky and symmetrical. Heat a griddle and grease with a little oil and place arepas and cook on both sides, (until tearing single plate), then take to the previously heated oven at 350 degrees and leave them until you remove them you tap them lightly and they sound like "hollow", and they become curved and golden brown. Is s