Arepa stuffed with meat, cheese and onion The Caribbean is a region with an enormous variety of languages, musical rhythms and different cultures, all thanks to the multiple influences of foreign countries whose customs merged with the native ones to give way to completely new ones. This is the case of Venezuela, a country strategically located at the northern end of South America, whose gastronomy has been influenced by countless origins. Join us on a gastronomic vacation to explore one of the most typical flavors of Venezuela: the arepa. There is no more traditional food that defines Venezuela as much as the arepa. Consumed since pre-Columbian times, it is a type of bun prepared with circular corn flour that is eaten practically daily for both breakfast and dinner. Generally they can also be consumed during the meal but without filling and more as a garnish. They can be prepared fried, grilled or roasted on a budare (a type of seasoned grill), depending on taste.arepa-budareArepas in a budareIn Venezuela, the arepa is consumed equally in all regions of the country, and although it is It is considered a very homemade meal, there are also specialized restaurants called “areperas”, where as you can imagine, the arepa is the star dish. Its versatility is infinite, since it accepts many types of food as filling and depending on it, in some cases it receives a specific name. These are the most popular arepas in Venezuela: Pepiada queen. It is filled with shredded chicken salad with mayonnaise and avocado. It is said that this arepa was created as a tribute to Susana Duijm, the first Venezuelan to obtain the title of “Miss World” in 1955. In the Venezuelan lexicon, the word “pepiado” is a synonym for pretty, beautiful. Catira. Arepa stuffed with shredded chicken with grated yellow gouda cheese. A catira in Venezuela is a woman with blonde hair. Pelúa. Same as catira but it has beef instead of chicken. Domino. Arepa stuffed with black beans (caraotas), with grated hard white cheese. Caraotas are one of the elements of Pabellón, the national dish of Venezuela. Pavilion. The national dish can also be ordered in the form of an arepa, and is filled with shredded meat, beans and “tajadas”, thin portions of fried plantain. Parakeet. Arepa stuffed with scrambled eggs, onion and tomato, very popular for breakfast. Mattress breaks. Arepa stuffed with all kinds of seafood prepared in vinaigrette (prawns, octopus, squid, etc.). Widow. Arepa alone, served without filling. It can also be filled with sweet ham, slices of turkey breast, pork loin and all types of cheeses (hand cheese, guayanés, telita), very popular and delicious fresh cheese styles, but it is always advisable to spread a little butter before filling it.arepa-saladIn addition to the great variety of fillings, every Venezuelan has their own particular way of eating the arepa, but beyond styles, the arepa should always be eaten using your hands, never with cutlery. The great advantage of the arepa as a food? It is simple to prepare, economical, and in addition to being nutritious, it is also very filling. So many millions of Venezuelans cannot be wrong, since without going any further, the blog specialized in gastronomy, travel and drinks, Thrillist, recently named the arepa as the best breakfast in the world.

The criollo pavilion is a traditional dish of Venezuelan gastronomy, in addition to being considered the "national dish of Venezuela." It is called this way because of its resemblance to a pavilion or flag, since it combines different colors. The traditional Creole pavilion is composed of cooked white rice, shredded beef, black beans and slices of fried ripe plantain.5​6​ The history of the pavilion dates back to the imperial era, probably from the 18th century, and according to what is said, it is basically a gathering of "leftovers" from previous meals made by the slaves of the haciendas: thus the meat, rice and black beans generally They dated back a day or two, with the banana slices being the only thing that was prepared at the time. There is also another hypothesis that this dish is typical or representative of the central west of the country because it is very common to see it on the menus in most gastronomic establishments. And it is in that region where these ingredients can be obtained most easily, because there the Llanos, the Caribbean Sea, the Andes mountain range, Lake Maracaibo, the Coastal Mountains and the climates most conducive to the agriculture of the entire nation. It is often referred to that the dish represents the three great Venezuelan cultures: Spanish (white rice), indigenous (shredded meat) and African (caraotas).8​3​ However, this statement is merely poetic. It is very likely that this dish is from El Tocuyo from the 17th century, due to the similar recipes that are closely associated with the ingredients used in the pavilion.