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Venezuelan cuisine is influenced by its European [1] (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, 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. [1] [2] 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.
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Arepa | 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. [3] | |
Arepa andina | Same as arepas but made with wheat. Popular in the Venezuelan Andes region. | |
Cachapa | A maize pancake, usually filled with fresh cheese and/or fried pork | |
Cachitos (de jamón) | Similar to French croissant filled with ham | |
Caraotas negras | Black beans, usually eaten at lunch time, with rice, plantains and shredded meat, or pabellón | |
Casabe | A flat bread made of bitter cassava | |
Chicharrón | 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 | Chicken salad, usually made with mayonnaise, green cabbage and carrots | |
Hallaca | 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 | Small tamales consumed throughout the Andes region of South America, including the Venezuelan Andes region | |
Huevos pericos | Scrambled eggs, butter, sautéed diced onions, and tomatoes; used often to fill an arepa | |
Hervido de gallina | 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 [4] | |
Mandoca | Deep-fried cornmeal ring | |
Mondongo | Soup made from diced tripe and slow cooked vegetables | |
Pabellón criollo | Creole pavilion, the national dish: white rice, shredded beef in stew, tajadas (fried ripe plantains) and stewed black beans | |
Pastel de pollo | Chicken pot pie | |
Polvorosa de pollo | Caracas version of chicken pot pie made with pâte sablée | |
Pastelitos | 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 [5] | |
Pasticho | Similar to the Greek dish pastitsio and the Italian lasagna [6] | |
Polenta | Also known as "funche" in some areas of the country |
Name | Image | Description |
---|---|---|
Tajadas | Fried ripe plantain slices | |
Tequeños | Deep-fried breaded cheese sticks | |
Tostones and patacones | Tostones are a common side dish for fried fish, typically eaten at the beach. [7] They are also used to make the "Zulian patacón", which is a kind of sandwich made using tostones instead of bread [8] | |
Empanadas | 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, shredded beefs, among others | |
Pastelitos | Same as empanada but made from wheat. Common in the Venezuelan Andes region. | |
Queso blanco is very popular in Venezuela. 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.
Mexican cuisine consists of the cooking cuisines and traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Its ingredients and methods begin with the first agricultural communities such as the Olmec and Maya who domesticated maize, created the standard process of nixtamalization, and established their foodways. Successive waves of other Mesoamerican groups brought with them their cooking methods. These included: the Teotihuacanos, Toltec, Huastec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Otomi, Purépecha, Totonac, Mazatec, Mazahua, and Nahua. With the Mexica formation of the multi-ethnic Triple Alliance, culinary foodways became infused.
Brazilian cuisine is the set of cooking practices and traditions of Brazil, and is characterized by European, Amerindian, African, and Asian influences. It varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations, and its continental size as well. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.
Costa Rican cuisine is known for being mostly mild, with high reliance on fruits and vegetables. Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals, often served three times a day. Costa Rican fare is nutritionally well rounded, and nearly always cooked from scratch from fresh ingredients. Owing to the location of the country, tropical fruits and vegetables are readily available and included in the local cuisine.
Puerto Rican cuisine consists of the cooking style and traditional dishes original to Puerto Rico. It has been primarily influenced by the ancestors of the Puerto Rican people: the indigenous Taínos, Spanish colonizers, and sub-Saharan African slaves. As a territory of the United States, the culinary scene of Puerto Rico has also been moderately influenced by American cuisine.
Latin American cuisine is the typical foods, beverages, and cooking styles common to many of the countries and cultures in Latin America. Latin America is a highly racially, ethnically, and geographically diverse with varying cuisines. Some items typical of Latin American cuisine include maize-based dishes arepas, empanadas, pupusas, tacos, tamales, tortillas and various salsas and other condiments. Sofrito, a culinary term that originally referred to a specific combination of sautéed or braised aromatics, exists in Latin American cuisine. It refers to a sauce of tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, garlic, onions and herbs. Rice, corn, pasta, bread, plantain, potato, yucca, and beans are also staples in Latin American cuisine.
Arepa is a type of food made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in northern parts of South America since pre-Columbian times, and notable primarily in the cuisine of Colombia and Venezuela, but also present in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Central America.
Nicaraguan cuisine includes a mixture of indigenous Amerindian cuisine, Spanish cuisine, and West African cuisine. Despite the blending and incorporation of pre-Columbian, West African, and Spanish-influenced cuisine, traditional cuisine differs on the Pacific coast from the Caribbean coast. While the Pacific coast's main staple revolves around beef, poultry, local fruits, and corn, the Caribbean coast's cuisine makes use of seafood and coconut.
Salvadoran cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of El Salvador. The indigenous foods consist of a mix of Amerindian cuisine from groups such as the Lenca, Pipil, Maya Poqomam, Maya Chʼortiʼ, Alaguilac and Cacaopera peoples. Many of the dishes are made with maize (corn). There is also heavy use of pork and seafood. European ingredients were incorporated after the Spanish conquest.
Chicharrón is a dish generally consisting of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds. Chicharrón may also be made from chicken, mutton, or beef.
Colombian cuisine is a compound of the culinary traditions of the six main regions within Colombia. Colombian cuisine varies regionally and is particularly influenced by Indigenous Colombian, Spanish, and African cuisines, with slight Arab influence in some regions. As one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Colombia has one of the widest varieties of available ingredients depending on the region.
White cheese includes a wide variety of cheese types discovered in different regions, sharing the sole common characteristic of their white hue. The specific type of white cheese can vary significantly depending on the geographical location.
Honduran cuisine is a fusion of Mesoamerican, Spanish, Caribbean and African cuisines. There are also dishes from the Garifuna people. Coconut and coconut milk are featured in both sweet and savory dishes. Regional specialties include sopa de caracol, fried fish, tamales, carne asada and baleadas. Other popular dishes include meat roasted with chismol and carne asada, chicken with rice and corn, and fried fish with pickled onions and jalapeños. In the coastal areas and the Bay Islands, seafood and some meats are prepared in many ways, including with coconut milk. Among the soups the Hondurans enjoy are bean soup, mondongo soup, seafood soups and beef soups. Generally all of these soups are mixed with plantains, yuca, and cabbage, and served with corn tortillas.
Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish, indigenous Taíno, Middle Eastern, African, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Haitian influences. The most recent influences in Dominican cuisine are from the British West Indies and China.
Panamanian cuisine is a mix of Spanish, Indigenous, and African techniques, dishes, and ingredients, reflecting its diverse population. Since Panama is a land bridge between two continents, it has a large variety of tropical fruits, vegetables and herbs that are used in native cooking.
Most traditional foods in Guatemalan cuisine are based on Maya cuisine, with Spanish influence, and prominently feature corn, chilies and beans as key ingredients. Guatemala is famously home to the Hass avocado.
Ecuadorian cuisine is diverse, varying with altitude and associated agricultural conditions. Ecuadorian cuisine is an amalgamation of Spanish, Andean, and Amazonian cuisines and to a lesser degree Italian, Lebanese, African, and Chinese. Beef, chicken, and seafood are popular in the coastal regions, especially ceviche, and are typically served with carbohydrate-rich foods, such as rice accompanied with lentils, pasta, or plantain. In the mountainous regions pork, chicken, beef and cuy are popular and are often served with rice, maize, or potatoes. A popular street food in mountainous regions is hornado, consisting of potatoes served with roasted pig. Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine in general include patacones, llapingachos, and seco de chivo. A wide variety of fresh fruit is available, particularly at lower altitudes, including granadilla, passionfruit, naranjilla, several types of banana, uvilla, taxo, and tree tomato.
A great variety of cassava-based dishes are consumed in the regions where cassava is cultivated, and the ingredient is included many national or ethnic specialities.
Sorullos are a fried cornmeal-based dish that is a staple of the Puerto Rican cuisine. Sorullos are served as a side dish or as appetizers, and are sometimes stuffed with cheese. They can be served with mayoketchup, coffee or dusted in confectioners' sugar.