Cultural Lunches – Especial Edition for Latino Heritage Month: Venezuela

Event date: Oct. 14, Thursday, at 12:30 on TEAMS

Click here to access the event on TEAMS.

You do not have to enroll to attend any of the cultural lunches.

What are Arepas?

Arepas are cornmeal cakes that originated hundreds of years ago, in pre-Colombian times, in a region that now makes up Colombia, Venezuela, and Panama. Traditionally, they were cooked on a pan called a budare. But they can also be grilled, baked, or fried.

Arepas are made with pre-cooked cornmeal (masarepa – available in Latin food aisles in many supermarkets) mixed with water and a bit of salt.

Arepas are cooked on a griddle or skillet until the outsides are nice and crisp and golden brown, and the insides are soft and fluffy. Then they are split in half and filled with:

• spicy black beans and soft cheese
• Reina pepiada – Venezuelan chicken salad with avocado, mayonnaise, garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and cilantro
• mixed grilled seafood
• carne mechada (shredded beef)
• carnitas
• chicharrons (crispy pork skin
• avocados
• other things too numerous to mention here

Venezuelan arepas tend to be smaller and thicker, while Colombian arepas tend to be sweeter, thinner, and stuffed with cheese.

We will have a special guest chef from Paparepas to teach us how to make authentic Venezuelan AREPAS!