Venezuelan Cuisine: Most Popular Food in Venezuela for Curious Travelers

Venezuelan cuisine, just like its neighboring Latin American countries, is strongly influenced by European food, particularly Italian, Spanish, and French dishes. Food in Venezuela also had a hint of indigenous African influence in its flavor.

In many rural villages in Venezuela, cured meats and sausages are usually being sold as fresh trout dishes are seen from the many Andean streams and lakes, according to World Food.

Venezuela differs from the rest of the Amazon region, with some food lovers even eating turtles, tapirs, birds, and deep-fried ants. However, just like its nearby countries, Venezuela's main food ingredients are yucca, corn, beans, and bananas.

Food in Venezuela

The usual South American comfort food is made using a handful of household ingredients such as corn, water, and salt, stuffed with anything from an avocado chicken salad to beans and plantains. Institute of Culinary Education noted that Venezuelans use corn for various dishes such as hallacas, empanadas, and cachapas.

It is believed that even before Europeans arrived in Venezuela, indigenous women in the region would soak maize kernels, dehusk them, dry them, and grind them into fine flour. They would then mix the flour with water to create dough balls and flatten them into disks.

Tequeños

A popular go-to dish in Venezuela is Tequeños. These are cheesy breadsticks made by frying pieces of savory queso blanco wrapped in elastic puff pastry. The dough becomes flaky and crispy after frying, making it a snack that can be served as a bar chow or party appetizer.

It can also be dipped in a sauce such as Venezuelan guacamole. The popular snack is known to have originated in the vacation towns of Los Teques and has spread to other countries.

Cachito

The Venezuelan dish Cachito is similar to a croissant. According to Will Fly for Food, its ingredients vary, but it is usually made with wheat flour, eggs, butter, milk, salt, sugar, yeast, and water.

The Venezuelan version of the dish is often filled with ham and cheese. Some speculated that it might have been derived from the Venezuelan dish Pan de Jamon. Another theory claims that Cachito was introduced to Venezuela by Portuguese and Italian bakers in the early 20th century.

Cachapa

The Cachapa is a traditional Venezuelan dish made with fresh ground corn, queso blanco, and sugar and cooked in a budare. It is typically enjoyed as an appetizer for a full breakfast.

The dish is folded in half and filled with queso de man, served with a side of chicharron. The Cachapa is similar to an arepa, both looking like pancakes. However, it is thicker with a more irregular texture due to the added corn.

Pabellón Criollo

The Pabellón Criollo is the national dish of Venezuela, made with shredded beef, black beans, rice, tajadas or fried banana, and egg as common sides. It is the Venezuelan version of the Cuban ropa vieja.

The national dish is speculated to be created during the Spanish occupation when foreign colonizers treated indigenous and African slaves harshly. Slaves learned to cope by mixing leftovers, and the food became a symbol of their struggle.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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