The arepa is a symbol of Venezuelan gastronomy. It is common for Venezuelans to eat arepas throughout the day, both as snacks and as sides to meals, creating a culture where these corn products can be found almost everywhere. Venezuelan arepas are commonly filled with a great variety of different fillings, from beef and avocado to cheese, varying widely by the location of where they are sold and the ingredients that can be obtained. However, one of the most traditional fillings is known as "Reina Pepiada", it is a tasty combination of shredded chicken with avocado and mayonnaise. Also, the so-called Creole breakfast is nothing more than arepas stuffed with: scramble eggs, shredded meat, black beans and platain.
Basically, arepas are a flatbread made of corn and made with special precooked corn flour. The most known brand is Harina PAN, Harina Juana as also called in Venezuela. It’s a granulated flour that when mixed with water produces a heavy dough that is easily shaped into discs. Arepas are cooked in a cast iron flat grill that is called budare. You can easily use a cast iron pan to get the exact same result. The result is a disc with crusty hard exterior with a tender inside that you can easily open and fill them with a vast variety of fillings.
BY YURUANY SCHĂśRMANN