AREPA NATION

AREPA NATION will be devoted to the pleasures of homemade Venezuelan food (AREPAS). We want a space where authentic quality food converges with the eclectic vibe of our city.

Arepas have been there for centuries (literally) but it’s only in the last few years that they have started becoming really popular all around the world due to a series of events that have made Venezuelans migrate overseas.

From being ‘awarded’ Best breakfast in the world by online publication Thrillist.com in 2014 from a list of 18 contestants all the way to having multiple feature articles in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the arepa has without a doubt become now one of those street foods that is a must-have in any cosmopolitan city.

Arepas have also been featured on Master Chef (the American version) where Venezuelan Chef Alejandro Toro left Gordon Ramsay and the rest of the panel in complete ‘Awe’.

https://youtu.be/Yb2qsSsVnq0

Nowadays you can easily find an arepa stall or restaurant in cities like Sydney, Madrid, London, New York, Melbourne, Barcelona and LA.

What is an arepa?

An arepa is the daily bread of Venezuela handed down generations from the Timoto-Cuicas (a local tribe). Made of white cornmeal, water and salt, the dough is formed into a patty, grilled, baked, fried split open and stuffed with a variety of ingredients like a sandwich. Arepa styles in Venezuela vary by region. They may be fried, baked or grilled and eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

What are arepas made out of?

You’ll be surprised to know that arepas are made simply out of water, cornmeal and salt. That’s it. The fillings may vary depending on who’s eating them, but in its original form they are gluten-free and vegan.

The production of maize is unusual for not using the nixtamalization (alkali cooking process) to remove the pericarp of the kernels. All this means is that arepa flour different from masa flour, which is used to make tortillas.

Arepas are from a general area that encompasses both Colombia and Venezuela. This are used to be known as the Great Colombia centuries ago. However, it is now two separate countries as you already know.

Colombian arepas are made differently than the Venezuelan ones. Colombian arepas are thinner and are not usually filled with anything, whereas Venezuelan arepas are a bit thicker and are filled with whatever you choose.

However, they are both made with the same type of corn flour and taste pretty much the same.

I will focusing on Venezuelan arepas so the recipes you’ll see below are for… you guessed it: Venezuelan arepas.

Traditional Venezuelan arepa recipes

The most traditional arepa (filling) recipes include shredded beef, pork and chicken avo salad and black beans and cheese. They all have their traditional and funny character names which I’ll do my best translate below:

Blonde: shredded chicken and cheese.

Pabellón: (sweet plantains, black beans and shredded beef.)

Hairy-Furry: cheese and shredded beef.

Pork Leg: pulled pork, tomato and mayo.

Pepiada Queen: chicken salad, mayo and avocado.

PartyGirl: pulled pork and shredded cheese. 

VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN

Dominó: black beans and cheese

Vegan: sweet plantains and back beans.

Widow: arepa without filling.

There are countless combinations of of arepa fillings so I have added the ones I have found to be the most popular online. And they are all basically the same base ingredients but with different matches and combinations.