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Venezuelan cuisine

Culinary traditions of Venezuela

Venezuelan cuisine is influenced by its European (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and French), West African, and indigenous traditions. Venezuelan cuisine varies greatly from one region to another. Food staples include corn, rice, plantains, yams, beans and several meats.

Potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, squashes, spinach and zucchini are also common side dishes in the Venezuelan diet. Ají dulce and papelón are found in most recipes. Worcestershire sauce is also used frequently in stews. Venezuela is also known for having a large variety of white cheese (queso blanco), usually named by geographical region. Italian settlers contributed pasta and meat products, while German settlers introduced Berliners (which are locally called bomba) and kuchens.

Venezuelans have three main meals: a large breakfast, a large dinner (around noon), and a very light supper in the evening. Venezuelan hospitality is widespread, so something to drink and eat is expected when visiting someone's home. Arepas, the most distinctive Venezuelan food, are thick disks made of precooked cornmeal, either fried or baked. Large arepas, with a variety of fillings (ham and cheese is the most popular one), are eaten as snacks throughout the day; smaller arepas are typically served as side companions at all meals.

Main dishes

Name	Image	Description
Arepa	[[File:Arepitas Food Macro.jpg	100px]]	Ground maize dough cooked, typically grilled on a budare (which is similar to a comal) or deep-fried in a regular pan. The arepa is served filled, similar to a sandwich. There are many fillings including shredded beef, black beans, Venezuelan cheese, ham, fish. Some fillings have proper names. Reina Pepiada (old Venezuelan Spanish for "curvy queen") is a filling for arepa composed of avocado, chicken, and mayonnaise. This particular filling is named after the Venezuelan beauty queen Susana Duijm.
Arepa andina	[[File:Arepas Andinas (AREPAS de Trigo).JPG	100px]]	Same as arepas but made with wheat. Popular in the Venezuelan Andes region.
Asado negro	[[File:Asado negro.jpg	211x211px]]	Slow-cooked beef roast in dark sugar-cane sauce.
Cachapa	[[File:Cachapas from Venezuela.jpg	100px]]	A maize pancake, usually filled with fresh cheese and/or fried pork
Cachitos (de jamón)	[[File:Cachitos close-up (3175160347).jpg	100px]]	Similar to French croissant filled with ham
Caraotas negras	[[File:Black beans (1126927794).jpg	100px]]	Black beans, usually eaten at lunch time, with rice, plantains and shredded meat, or pabellón
Casabe	[[File:Casabe-1.jpg	100px]]	A flat bread made of bitter cassava
Chicharrón	[[File:Chicharron paisa.jpg	100px]]	Typically fried pork rinds and eaten as a snack, or as a side dish
Chupe andino		A soup traditionally made with cheese, shredded chicken or hen, vegetables and cream.
Ensalada de pollo	[[File:Amanida amb pollastre - 1 (4038529600).jpg	100px]]	Chicken salad, usually made with mayonnaise, green cabbage and carrots
Hallaca	[[File:Hallacas, hallacas, hallacas..jpg	100px]]	A typical Christmas dish; hallacas typically have a mixture of beef, pork, chicken, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize (cornmeal dough), bound with string within plantain leaves, and boiled or steamed afterwards
Humitas	[[File:Humitas (1).jpg	100px]]	Small tamales consumed throughout the Andes region of South America, including the Venezuelan Andes region
Huevos pericos	[[File:Huevos pericos.jpg	120px]]	Scrambled eggs, butter, sautéed diced onions, and tomatoes; used often to fill an arepa
Hervido de gallina	[[File:Chicken Vegetable Soup (8731954951).jpg	100px]]	Hen soup, usually with chunks of corn, potatoes, carrots and local root vegetables such as cassava, ñam, auyama (name for local variety of pumpkin), ocumo (cocoyam), and seasoned with onions, garlic, and cilantro
Mandoca	[[File:Mandocaszulianas.JPG	100px]]	Deep-fried cornmeal ring
Mondongo	[[File:Modongo soup.jpg	100px]]	Soup made from diced tripe and slow cooked vegetables
Pabellón criollo	[[File:Pabellón Criollo Venezolano.jpg	100px]]	Creole pavilion, the national dish: white rice, shredded beef in stew, tajadas (fried ripe plantains) and stewed black beans
Pastel de chucho	[[File:ChickenpotpiesopenFeb09.jpg	100px]]	An pie made from stingray and plantains
Polvorosa de pollo		Caracas version of chicken pot pie made with pâte sablée
Pastelitos	[[File:Pastelito (comida).jpg	100px]]	Fried puff pastries, famously a specialty of the Venezuelan Andes. These are made with wheat flour dough, and filled with, for example, cheese and chicken. Usually pastelitos are eaten at breakfast
Pasticho	[[File:Pastitsio.jpg	100px]]	Similar to the Greek dish pastitsio and the Italian lasagna{{cite web
Polenta	[[File:Polenta con salsicce.jpg	100px]]	Also known as "funche" in some areas of the country

Typical snacks

Name	Image	Description
Tajadas	[[File:Platanas_fritas.jpg	100px]]	Fried ripe plantain slices
Tequeños	[[File:P1280403internet.jpg	100px]]	Deep-fried breaded cheese sticks
Tostones and patacones	[[File:Patacones - Barranquilla.jpg	100px]]	Tostones are a common side dish for fried fish, typically eaten at the beach. They are also used to make the "Zulian patacón", which is a kind of sandwich made using tostones instead of bread
Empanadas	[[File:Empanadas Venezolanas.jpg	100px]]	Served as snacks by street vendors; can also be eaten as a full meal. The dough is made with corn flour, similar to arepas, and the fillings are typically cheese, stewed black beans, and shredded beef, among others
Pastelitos	[[File:Pastelitos Andino.jpg	100px]]	Same as empanada but made from wheat. Common in the Venezuelan Andes region.

Beverages

Beer
Catara sauce – an alleged aphrodisiac based on juice of cassava
Chicha – non-alcoholic drink, made of boiled white rice, milk and sugar
Cocada – Coconut milkshake, found mostly in coastal areas
Papaya juice
Mango juice
Passion fruit juice
Malta – Non-alcoholic carbonated malt
Papelón con limón
Ponche crema – Served especially during Christmas season
Venezuelan rum
Frescolita (strawberry-flavored soda)
Chinotto (the counterpart to Sprite or Seven Up)
Cocuy – Similar to Tequila. Served at celebrations.
Guayoyo – Slightly watered down black coffee, commonly served after meals

Breads

Casabe – cassava flatbread
Pan dulce – Spanish for "sweet bread"
Pan de jamón – usually filled with ham, olives, and raisins and usually eaten during the Christmas season

Desserts

Alfajor – maize cookie with arequipe and grated coconut
Bienmesabe - sweet Spanish dessert prepared with honey, egg yolk, and ground almonds as primary ingredients
Brazo gitano (the Spanish Swiss roll)
Conserva de guayaba – Guava confection
Bomba - local version of Berliners
Chupichupi – a water-based frozen snack in a plastic tube, a freezie
Dulce de lechosa – Green papaya slowed cooked in a syrup flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla
- Cascos de guayaba *
*Cucas *– cookies with brown sugar also called catalinas
- Golfeado *
Kuchen
- Masamorra *
*Majarete *
Mousse de chocolate
Naiboa
Negro en Camisa - Dark Chocolate Cake
Pudín de chocolate – chocolate pudding
Quesillo – local style caramel flan
Papitas de leche - Traditional sweet treats or Milk Truffles
*Panelas de San Joaquin *– biscuits twice baked recipe flavored with anis seed from San Joaquin, Carabobo State
Polvorosas – butter cookies with cinnamon
Paledonias – cookies with brown sugar also called cucas or catalinas

Cheese

Queso blanco is a very common ingredient in Venezuelan cuisine. It is produced all over Venezuela with different flavors and textures. The name of each variety of cheese is usually related to the geographical region.

Cuajada andina
Guayanés cheese
Llanero cheese
Paisa cheese
Palmita cheese
Palmizulia cheese
Queso blanco duro
Queso crineja
Queso de año
Queso de mano
Telita cheese

References

Kohnstamm, Thomas; Kohn, Beth. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ek_-oO0xYoIC&pg=PA48 "Venezuela."] Lonely Planet. Accessed October 2011.
Brittin, Helen. (2011). "The Food and Culture Around the World Handbook". Prentice Hall.
[https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1316-03542005000100003 Cartay, Rafael (2005). Aportes de los Inmigrantes a la Conformación del Régimen Alimentario Venezolano en el Siglo XX ]
https://venehub.com/venezuela-food-guide/arepa-reina-pepiada/ “Arepa Reina Pepiada - the Arepa Inspired by a Beauty Pageant Queen.” VeneHUB, 7 Feb. 2021, venehub.com/venezuela-food-guide/arepa-reina-pepiada/.
"VenezuelaTuya".
"VenezuelaTuya".
"12 comidas playeras típicas de Venezuela".
Alvarez, Alex. (2016-07-07). "An Ode To Plantains, Banana's Much Cuter Cousin".
Fogones y Cocinas tradicionales de Venezuela. Caracas: Ediciones Cavendes. 1993.

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