Arepas Recipe {3 Ingredients} - The Big Man's World ® (2024)

FAQs

What are Venezuelan arepas made of? ›

Arepas are corn cakes traditionally made by dried corn pounded in a pilón—a large mortar and pestle—and formed into a pliable dough. While in Colombia you're far more likely to see wide, thin arepas made with toppings, in Venezuela, arepas tend to be thicker, with fillings sandwiched into them after splitting.

The key to a soft and fluffy arepa is kneading the dough and allowing it to rest for a few minutes. The dough needs time to hydrate!

The Puerto Rican version of the arepa is almost always made with wheat or coconut flour instead of corn flour, more common in South America. Puerto Rican arepas tend to be smaller than those found south of the equator, and can be served stuffed – typical across Latin America - or plain, more akin to a fry bread.

Traditionally, arepas are made by soaking and pounding dried corn in a pilón—a large mortar and pestle. The moist pounded dough would then be shaped into cakes and cooked. These days, most folks buy pre-cooked, dehydrated masarepa—arepa flour—that only needs to be mixed with water and salt to form a dough.

In Colombia, arepas are most commonly eaten with breakfast as a side dish, but of course can be eaten as an accompaniment to meals throughout the day. The ingredients tend to be a bit more sparse than in Venezuela. The corn cake is thinner and often sweeter. In most cases, the only filling is melted cheese.

These corn griddle cakes are common in both countries — but in very differing styles. Venezuelan arepas are usually savory and stuffed with meat, cheese, and beans. Colombian arepas can be sweet, and are usually topped only with butter and quesito colombiano.

I prefer the fine yellow cornmeal because that's what I grew up using, but you can definitely substitute white if you can't find it. And cornmeal is being used for these arepas, this is definitely a gluten-free dish, which is awesome for those of you who may need it.

So texturally satisfying, the outsides are crispy and crunchy, while the insides stay moist, soft, and a bit chewy. Arepas are also easy to make. Their secret ingredient is pre-cooked very-fine ground white cornmeal -- also called P.A.N. flour.

Take arepas, a corn-based cake popular in South American cuisine, primarily Venezuela and Colombia. They're healthier baked than fried, and stuffed with small portions of lean chicken, beef and vegetables. "Arepas have plenty of fiber that helps with keeping cholesterol levels down," Puche said.

Gorditas Are a Mexican Specialty

Gorditas resemble arepas, but like pupusas, they are made with masa harina. These corn cakes are deep fried until they are golden and crispy (but they can also be cooked on a griddle or comal). Gorditas puff up when fried in oil, forming an air pocket somewhat like pita bread.

Are arepas Colombian or Venezuelan? ›

The arepa is a pre-Columbian dish from the area that is now Colombia, Panama and Venezuela. Instruments used to make flour for the arepas, and the clay slabs on which they were cooked, were often found at archaeological sites in the area.

It comes in both white and yellow, the only difference being the color of the flour.

Simply sub the full amount of masarepa (2 cups as the original recipe is written) for 1 1/2 cups masa harina (works far better than cornmeal, but cornmeal can also work), 1/4 cup coconut flour, and 1/4 cup gluten-free flour or arrowroot starch.

Fun fact: The AREPA was first cooked hundreds of years ago by the indigenous tribes across the areas that are now Venezuela and Colombia. The AREPA has its name from the word EREPA, the indigenous word for corn.

Let them cool. If you cut them still hot, they will be doughy in the middle.

Although both Colombians and Venezuelans eat arepas on the daily, the two are very different from one another. My mother likes to point out that the Venezuelan arepa, which is thicker than the Colombian arepa, is the original arepa, and is usually cooked or fried in oil and stuffed with a number of different toppings.

Masarepa is the "flour" used to make arepas. The masarepa is made from corn that is pre-cooked. It can sometimes be labeled as "instant". It is similar to cornmeal, but not interchangeable.

Arepas – fried cornmeal pockets stuffed with all the fillings you could ever want, like carnitas, spicy chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans, sauces, and more. THESE ARE SO GOOD! On the menu today and forever: arepas arepas arepas.

Many people believe that eating arepas is less healthy than eating wheat flour-based bread, but both offer a similar caloric content and can be considered a part of a balanced diet. Corn, however, contains a gluten-free protein called Zein, which makes it much healthier for celiacs.