Traditional food
Traditional Venezuelan Food, the Dishes to Know and How to Cook Them
From arepas and pabellón to cane-sugar sweets: what Venezuelans eat, where to start and what to buy at a US or UK store.
Traditional Venezuelan food is home cooking built on corn, plantains and black beans. The national dish is pabellón criollo, a plate of shredded beef, black beans, white rice and fried sweet plantains. The everyday bread is the arepa, a thick griddled corn cake that is split open and stuffed at any meal, and the same precooked corn flour makes empanadas, corn dumplings and the dough for Christmas hallacas.
Two ingredients give the food its taste. Ají dulce is a small pepper that smells like a hot chile but has almost no heat, and it goes into nearly every sofrito. Papelón is unrefined cane sugar, the same thing sold as panela or piloncillo, and it sweetens drinks, desserts and even savory stews. Venezuelan cooking is not spicy; hot sauce stays on the table. It also changes by region: wheat and milky soups in the Andes, plantains in Zulia, beef on the plains, and fish and coconut on the eastern coast.
Shopping is easier than it looks. Precooked white corn flour (P.A.N., or Goya Masarepa) is in the Latin aisle; masa harina and cornmeal are not substitutes. Halloumi or Latin frying cheese stands in for hard Venezuelan white cheese, mini sweet peppers for ají dulce, and dark brown sugar for papelón. Start with arepas, which take 50 minutes, and save pabellón for a weekend. For more Latin home cooking, see traditional Mexican food and traditional Colombian food.
Pabellón criollo and Venezuelan main dishes
Pabellón criollo is four separate components and about 3 hours of cooking, so spread it out. Soak the Venezuelan black beans the night before; the beans and the shredded beef both taste better made a day ahead. On the day, you only cook the rice and fry the sweet plantains, which are best eaten straight from the pan. Canned black beans work if you are short on time.
For a Sunday or for guests, asado negro is the special-occasion roast: eye of round browned in caramelized cane sugar and braised until the sauce turns dark and glossy, even better the next day. Venezuelan pasticho, a lasagna with béchamel, ham and cheese, and polvorosa de pollo, a chicken pie with a crumbly crust, are the two oven dishes for a crowd, and both can be prepped the night before. Plantain cake with cheese is served warm next to asado negro or pabellón.
LunchPabellón Criollo, Venezuela's National Plate in Four Parts
Pabellón criollo is shredded beef, black beans, white rice and fried sweet plantain, cooked separately and plated without touching. How long flank steak needs to shred, where the 808 calories sit and a three-pot timing plan.
LunchVenezuelan Black Beans With a Touch of Panela
Caraotas negras, the Venezuelan black beans cooked with a sweet pepper sofrito and finished with a little panela. What really toughens beans, how much time soaking saves and how to thicken them without any flour.
SnacksFried Sweet Plantains, Venezuelan Tajadas Step by Step
Fried sweet plantains the Venezuelan way, long ⅜-inch (1 cm) diagonal slices of black-skinned plantain fried at 350°F (175°C). Serves 4 in 30 minutes, with air fryer and oven versions, ripeness signs, US cost and reheating.
LunchVenezuelan Asado Negro, Eye of Round in Papelón Caramel
Venezuelan asado negro is eye of round blackened in papelón caramel and braised 165 minutes until the sauce turns nearly black. Serves 8 or 16 in 4 hours 20 minutes plus an overnight marinade, with US and UK cuts and Instant Pot times.
LunchVenezuelan Pasticho, the Lasagna with Béchamel, Ham and Cheese
Venezuelan pasticho is lasagna layered with meat sauce, a generous béchamel, ham and mild melting cheese, 10 servings in 160 minutes. No-boil noodle method, clean slicing, make-ahead, freezing, US and UK swaps.
LunchVenezuelan Polvorosa de Pollo, a Crumbly Chicken Pie
Venezuelan polvorosa de pollo is a Caracas chicken pie with a sweet, water-free crust that crumbles like shortbread when you cut it. Serves 12 in 250 minutes, with a two-day plan, US and UK swaps, freezing and costs.
LunchVenezuelan Plantain Cake, Torta de Plátano with Cheese
Venezuelan plantain cake layers fried black-ripe plantains, salty white cheese and a cane sugar syrup, set with 4 eggs at 350°F (180°C). Serves 12 in 2 hours in an 8x12-inch pan, with US and UK cheese swaps, make-ahead and freezing.
Arepas and what goes inside them
An arepa is precooked white corn flour, water and salt. The everyday version is griddled, then finished in the oven until it sounds hollow when tapped; fried arepas puff in the oil and open like a pocket. Classic fillings are grated white cheese, perico (eggs scrambled with tomato and onion), shredded beef, dominó (black beans and white cheese) and the reina pepiada, a cold filling of chicken, avocado and mayonnaise.
Sweet arepitas with anise are a different thing: small, fried, sweetened with cane sugar and hollow inside, for a weekend breakfast with cheese and coffee.
BreakfastHow to Make Arepas, the Venezuelan Griddle and Oven Method
How to make arepas the Venezuelan way, with pre-cooked corn flour, warm water and salt, seared 5 minutes a side and baked at 350°F (180°C). Makes 8 in 50 minutes. Why masa harina fails, fillings, freezing and a crowd plan.
BreakfastVenezuelan Fried Arepas That Puff Up for Stuffing
Venezuelan fried arepas are thin masarepa discs fried at 350°F (175°C) until they puff into a hollow pocket you split and stuff. Makes 12 in 50 minutes, with dual measures, US and UK swaps, an air fryer test and freeze-ahead discs.
BreakfastReina Pepiada Arepas, Venezuelan Chicken and Avocado Arepas
Reina pepiada arepas are Venezuelan corn cakes stuffed with shredded chicken, avocado and mayo in a 4-3-1 ratio, 8 in 60 minutes. Breast or thigh, keeping the filling green, P.A.N. swaps, air fryer and a plan for 20.
BreakfastVenezuelan Sweet Arepitas with Anise, How to Make Them Puff
Venezuelan sweet arepitas are small corn-flour discs with papelón and anise seed, fried at 350°F (175°C) until they puff. Makes 30 in 70 minutes, with dual measures, US and UK swaps, an air fryer test and make-ahead dough.
Cachapas, empanadas and corn dumplings
Cachapas are thick, sweet pancakes of blended fresh corn folded over soft white cheese; canned or frozen corn works, a little less sweet, and fresh mozzarella stands in for queso de mano. Venezuelan empanadas use the same corn flour as arepas, are deep-fried, and are filled with shredded beef, chicken, cheese, beans and cheese, or, on the eastern coast and Margarita Island, stewed cazón, a small shark that you can replace with any firm white fish.
Bollitos pelones are corn dough balls stuffed with beef and simmered in tomato sauce, then topped with grated cheese. Kids are good at rolling them.
BreakfastVenezuelan Cachapas, Sweet Corn Pancakes with Cheese
Venezuelan cachapas are sweet corn pancakes folded over soft white cheese, made from 1.75 lb (800 g) of blended kernels and little flour. Four in 60 minutes. Fresh, frozen or canned corn, US and UK cheese swaps, crowd amounts.
BreakfastVenezuelan Empanadas, Crispy Corn Dough That Won't Crack
Venezuelan empanadas are crisp half-moons of precooked corn dough with a spoonful of sugar, fried at 350°F (175°C) for 4-5 minutes. Twenty in 70 minutes once the filling is made, with beef, chicken, cheese or bean fillings and freezer tips.
LunchVenezuelan Cazón Guisado, Shredded Shark Stew for Empanadas
Venezuelan cazón guisado is small shark soaked in lime, poached 10 minutes and cooked dry with sweet peppers and annatto for empanadas. Ready in 80 minutes for 8 servings, with US and UK fish swaps, costs and mercury advice.
LunchBollitos Pelones, Venezuelan Corn Dumplings in Tomato Sauce
Bollitos pelones are Venezuelan corn dumplings, balls of precooked corn dough stuffed with dry-cooked ground beef and simmered in tomato sauce. A 1:1 dough that holds, 24 dumplings in 105 minutes for 6, masa harina swaps and freezing.
Tequeños, party food and bakery favorites
No Venezuelan party is complete without tequeños, sticks of firm white cheese wrapped in a thin wheat dough and fried. They freeze raw and go straight into the oil. Dip them in garlic sauce or guasacaca, a tangy avocado sauce with vinegar and sweet peppers, thinner than guacamole, which also goes on grilled meat and inside arepas.
From the bakery come ham cachitos, soft crescent rolls for breakfast, golfeados, sticky buns with cane sugar, anise and cheese, and catalinas, soft spiced cookies eaten with cold milk or white cheese. From the street, the pepito: a long sandwich with steak and chicken, cheese, cabbage, shoestring potatoes and sauces.
SnacksVenezuelan Tequeños, Homemade Dough and Cheese That Holds
Venezuelan tequeños are cheese sticks wrapped in a thin spiral of homemade wheat dough and fried at 350°F (175°C), 40 in 130 minutes. Which US and UK cheeses hold, how to freeze them for parties, air fryer times and dips.
SnacksVenezuelan Garlic Sauce (Salsa de Ajo), Recipe and Ratio
Venezuelan garlic sauce is mayonnaise blended with raw garlic, milk and lime, ready in 10 minutes for 12 servings at 5 g garlic per 100 g mayo. How it differs from toum and aioli, egg and garlic safety, and how long it keeps.
SnacksVenezuelan Guasacaca Recipe, the Tangy Avocado Sauce
Venezuelan guasacaca is a tangy avocado sauce blended with sweet peppers, herbs, vinegar and oil, ready in 15 minutes for 10 servings. How it differs from guacamole, US and UK swaps, how to keep it green and how long it lasts.
BreakfastVenezuelan Cachitos, Ham-Filled Bakery Rolls from Scratch
Venezuelan cachitos are soft, slightly sweet ham-filled crescent rolls, not flaky croissants, baked 20 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Makes 16, with an overnight fridge rise, a shaping guide, freezing tips and real US costs.
BreakfastGolfeados recipe, Venezuelan cheese and anise sticky buns
Golfeados are Venezuelan sticky buns rolled with unrefined cane sugar, anise seed and salty white cheese, then glazed with papelón syrup. 12 buns in 185 minutes, overnight option, US and UK swaps, °F and °C, cost and freezing.
DessertsVenezuelan Catalinas, Soft Spiced Cookies with Papelón
Venezuelan catalinas made with a papelón or piloncillo syrup, 4 cups (500 g) of flour, clove, cinnamon and ginger, baked at 350°F (175°C). Makes 12 soft 4-inch cookies in 160 minutes, with US and UK sugar swaps and storage.
DinnerVenezuelan Pepito Sandwich, Steak and Chicken Street Sub
A Venezuelan pepito is a toasted sub piled with marinated steak and chicken strips, yellow cheese, cabbage, garlic sauce and potato sticks. Which cut to buy, the build order that keeps it crisp, a party plan for 20, US cost. 70 min, 6.
Venezuelan soups
In Venezuela, hervido and sancocho are the same dish: meat or fish with root vegetables, squash and corn in a rich broth, served in a deep bowl as a full meal. Beef hervido is the Sunday soup, and fish hervido with red snapper is the soup of the eastern coast, served with half a lime. The one hard ingredient, ocumo, is sold as malanga or yautía in Latin stores; butternut squash replaces the auyama.
Andean soups use milk. Chupe andino is chicken, potato and corn in a creamy broth poured over cubes of white cheese, and pisca andina is a potato and scallion broth with poached eggs, a 20-minute breakfast in the mountain states of Mérida, Táchira and Trujillo.
SoupsVenezuelan Beef Soup, Hervido de Res (Beef Sancocho)
Venezuelan beef soup, hervido de res, simmers short ribs and shank for 105 minutes before cassava, yam, malanga, squash and corn go in, hardest first. 170 minutes for 8 bowls, with US and UK swaps, pressure cooker times and a plan for 20.
SoupsVenezuelan Fish Soup, Hervido de Pescado with Red Snapper
Venezuelan fish soup, hervido de pescado, builds its broth from a snapper head, then cooks cassava, yam, malanga and squash in it. 100 minutes for 6 bowls. Fish steaks go in last for 12 minutes, to 145°F (63°C), plus US and UK swaps.
SoupsVenezuelan Chupe Andino, Creamy Chicken and Corn Soup
Venezuelan chupe andino is a creamy Andean chicken, corn and potato soup with cubes of fresh cheese that soften in the bowl, ready in 90 minutes for 8. How to keep the milk from curdling, US and UK swaps, make-ahead plan and costs.
BreakfastPisca Andina, Venezuelan Andean Breakfast Soup Recipe
Pisca andina is the Venezuelan Andean breakfast soup of potatoes, scallions, milk and water with eggs poached right in the pot, 20 minutes for 4. How to keep the milk from splitting, which cheese won't go stringy and safe egg timings.
Dishes from the Andes and Zulia
The Venezuelan Andes cook with wheat. Pastelitos andinos are turnovers of very thin wheat dough that blister when fried, the region's breakfast along with pisca. Chicha andina has nothing to do with the rice-and-milk chicha: it is a pineapple-peel brew fermented for two days and thickened with corn and rice.
Zulia, in the far west, has its own repertoire. The patacón maracucho uses two fried green plantain slabs instead of bread, mandocas are fried rings of ripe plantain, cane sugar and cheese eaten for breakfast in Maracaibo, and huevos chimbos are egg yolk puffs in syrup that close a meal there.
BreakfastVenezuelan Pastelitos Andinos, Blistered Fried Turnovers
Venezuelan pastelitos andinos are Andean breakfast turnovers of wheat dough rolled to 2 mm that blisters in oil at 350°F (175°C). Makes 24 in 105 minutes, with four fillings, freezer and air fryer notes, a plan for 20-40 and US costs.
DrinksChicha Andina, Venezuelan Fermented Corn and Pineapple Drink
Chicha andina is a Venezuelan fermented corn drink: pineapple peels brewed 48 hours with papelón, then cooked with masarepa and rice. Makes 10 glasses with under an hour of work, plus how much alcohol stays and a kid-safe version.
DinnerPatacon Maracucho, the Venezuelan Plantain Sandwich
A patacon maracucho is a Venezuelan sandwich that uses two shells of twice-fried green plantain instead of bread. Fry at 325°F and 355°F (163°C and 180°C), press in a bag so they don't crack, and make 4 in an hour, with party math.
BreakfastVenezuelan mandocas, sweet plantain and cheese fritters
Mandocas recipe for Venezuelan ring-shaped fritters of very ripe plantain, corn flour, papelón and salty white cheese, fried at 350°F (175°C). 18 fritters in 65 minutes, with freezer, air fryer and US/UK swap notes.
DessertsHuevos Chimbos, Venezuelan Egg Yolk Puffs in Syrup
Huevos chimbos are 12 egg yolks whipped to the ribbon stage, baked in a water bath at 320°F (160°C) and poached 5 minutes in spiced syrup. Makes 12 puffs for 6 in 65 minutes plus 4 hours chilling, with a no-alcohol version.
Dishes from the plains and the east
On the plains, the llanos, beef rules. Pisillo is beef cooked, shredded very fine and fried dry with sweet peppers, cumin and annatto, and palo a pique is rice cooked in red bean broth with cubes of beef, a one-pot meal.
In the east and along the coast, coconut and fish come in. Goat in coconut milk is a celebration dish in Sucre state and also eaten in the west; lamb shoulder is the easy swap. Chicken talkarí is a tomato and sweet pepper stew with a mild touch of curry, and pastel de chucho from Margarita Island layers ripe plantain, a fish stew and cheese, mostly during Lent.
LunchVenezuelan Pisillo, Dry-Fried Shredded Beef from the Plains
Venezuelan pisillo is flank steak simmered 2 hours, shredded into very fine threads and dried 35 minutes in a skillet with ají dulce and annatto. Serves 6 in 3 hours 25 minutes, with salted-beef soaking times, US and UK cuts and freezing.
LunchPalo a Pique Recipe, Venezuelan Rice and Red Beans with Beef
Palo a pique is Venezuelan rice cooked in the liquid of red kidney beans with beef, pork belly and an annatto sofrito, all in one pot. Serves 6 in 2 hours 20 minutes, with the rice-to-liquid ratio, the bean boil and scaling to 20.
LunchVenezuelan Goat in Coconut Milk (Chivo en Coco) Recipe
Venezuelan goat in coconut milk, or chivo en coco, is bone-in goat simmered 100 minutes in water before the coconut milk goes in on low. Serves 8 in 3 hours 20 minutes, with how to tame the goaty smell, Instant Pot times and lamb.
LunchVenezuelan Chicken Curry (Talkari), Mild Stovetop Recipe
Venezuelan chicken curry, or talkari, is bone-in chicken braised 40 minutes in an ají dulce and tomato sofrito with potatoes and just 1 tbsp of curry. Serves 6 in 95 minutes, with swaps for ají dulce, safe temps and US cost.
LunchVenezuelan Pastel de Chucho, Plantain and Fish Casserole
Venezuelan pastel de chucho layers fried ripe plantain, a dry stew of ray or white fish, and salty cheese, baked 35 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Serves 10 in 120 minutes, with US and UK fish swaps, a make-ahead plan and costs.
In December, hallacas
December has its own table, the Christmas plate of hallaca, ham bread, chicken salad and roast pork leg, and you will find all of it, with a make-ahead plan, in our guide to Venezuelan Christmas food.
LunchVenezuelan Hallacas, the Christmas Tamal Wrapped in Leaves
Venezuelan hallacas the family way: beef, pork and chicken marinated a full day, corn dough colored with annatto lard. Olives, capers and raisins, tied in plantain leaf and boiled, with US substitutions and a two-day plan.
SnacksPan de Jamón, Venezuelan Christmas Ham Bread
Venezuelan pan de jamón: an enriched dough rolled around ham, bacon, raisins and green olives, baked at 356 °F. The filling ceiling that keeps the seam closed, US ingredient swaps and how to freeze it.
DinnerVenezuelan Pernil, Christmas Pork Leg with a 3-Day Plan
Venezuelan pernil is a bone-in pork leg marinated 24 hours and roasted almost 6 hours to 175-195°F (80-90°C), for 8 people. A 3-day plan to Christmas Eve, US and UK cuts, crisp skin, scaling to 20 and leftovers.
SaladsVenezuelan Chicken Salad, Ensalada de Gallina for Christmas
Venezuelan chicken salad, or ensalada de gallina, is shredded hen with firm potato, carrot, peas and apple in mayo, ready in 200 minutes for 8. Hen vs chicken, US and UK swaps, buffet safety and a December 23 make-ahead plan.
DessertsVenezuelan Black Cake (Torta Negra), Rum-Soaked Fruit Cake
Venezuelan black cake (torta negra) is a Christmas fruit cake with rum-soaked fruit, papelón and dark caramel, baked at 300°F (150°C). One 9-inch cake serves 20: how it differs from Caribbean black cake, feeding schedule, swaps, storage.
Venezuelan desserts
Venezuelan quesillo is the birthday dessert: a condensed-milk flan made with whole eggs that bakes up full of tiny holes, made the day before and better on day two. For no oven at all, chocolate marquesa is layered with Maria cookies (rich tea biscuits in the UK), and torta de pan turns stale bread into a caramel bread pudding with rum raisins.
Majarete is a corn and coconut milk pudding with cane sugar and cinnamon, cut into squares; torta de jojoto is a cake of blended fresh corn; and bienmesabe, sponge cake with coconut custard and meringue, is the most involved, assembled the day before for an occasion.
DessertsVenezuelan Quesillo, the Caramel Flan with Tiny Holes
Venezuelan quesillo is a caramel custard of 5 whole eggs and a can of sweetened condensed milk, baked in a water bath. Why the tiny holes are the point, the oven heat that makes them and how to unmold it without breaking it.
DessertsVenezuelan Chocolate Marquesa, No-Bake Maria Cookie Cake
Venezuelan chocolate marquesa is a no-bake icebox cake of Maria cookies dipped in milk and layered with chocolate buttercream. Yolks cooked to 160°F (71°C) so it is safe, 8x8 in pan, 40 minutes of work, overnight chill, 12 squares.
DessertsVenezuelan Bread Pudding (Torta de Pan) with Caramel
Venezuelan bread pudding, torta de pan, is stale bread mashed into condensed milk custard and baked on caramel in a water bath at 340°F. Serves 10 in 135 minutes, with the doneness temperature and how to turn it out clean.
DessertsVenezuelan Majarete, Coconut Corn Pudding with Papelón
Venezuelan majarete is a coconut corn pudding set with precooked corn flour, whisked into cold milk so it never turns lumpy. 40 minutes at the stove, 4 hours to chill, 10 squares, with brown sugar and UK swaps, storage and versions.
DessertsVenezuelan Corn Cake, Torta de Jojoto Made with Fresh Corn
Venezuelan corn cake (torta de jojoto) is fresh sweet corn blended with eggs, butter and milk, baked at 350°F (175°C) to 176°F in the center. Ten slices in 2 hours, with frozen and canned corn swaps, a cheese version and why it sinks.
DessertsVenezuelan Bienmesabe, Coconut Custard Cake with Meringue
Venezuelan bienmesabe is a chilled layered dessert of wine-soaked sponge, coconut custard and cinnamon meringue, made a day ahead. Serves 15 in 330 minutes, with US and UK swaps, a no-alcohol version, safe egg temperatures and costs.
Old-fashioned sweets with cane sugar and coconut
Venezuelan dulces criollos are pot-and-tin sweets: fruit or coconut cooked down with sugar or papelón until set, which keep for days or weeks and are often given as gifts. Green papaya dessert is the December one; coconut kisses and coconut conservas keep about a week in a tin; cabello de ángel, made with spaghetti squash outside Venezuela, and green mango paste last about 3 weeks in the fridge; and leche cortada is soft milk curds in a cane-sugar syrup, eaten cold.
DessertsVenezuelan green papaya dessert, dulce de lechosa recipe
Dulce de lechosa, Venezuela's Christmas dessert of green papaya strips candied in piloncillo syrup with cloves, off the heat at 223°F (106°C). Makes 3 lb (1.4 kg), 14 servings, in 3½ hours, with or without pickling lime and how to gift it.
DessertsCoconut Kisses, Venezuelan Besitos de Coco with Cane Sugar
Venezuelan coconut kisses, besitos de coco, made with a spiced syrup of 17.6 oz (500 g) papelón and one fresh coconut, baked at 350°F (180°C). Makes 30 in 130 minutes, with macaroon differences, coconut swaps, storage and cost.
DessertsVenezuelan Coconut Candy (Conservas de Coco) with Papelón
Venezuelan coconut candy, conservas de coco, made with 17.6 oz (500 g) of fresh coconut and 14 oz (400 g) of papelón cooked to 234°F (112°C). Makes 25 squares in 195 minutes, with coconut and sugar swaps, cutting, storage and cost.
DessertsCabello de angel, Venezuelan spaghetti squash candy
Cabello de angel is Venezuelan candied squash: strands of figleaf gourd or spaghetti squash cooked in their own weight of sugar to 220°F (104°C). Makes 3½ lb, 16 servings, in 4 hours, with cinnamon and cloves; costs, storage and gifting.
DessertsVenezuelan Jalea de Mango, Green Mango Paste Recipe
Venezuelan jalea de mango is green or half-ripe mango pulp cooked with its own weight in sugar to 220°F (104°C), until it sets. Makes 25 squares or 5 half-pint jars in 130 minutes, with set tests, storage and US cost.
DessertsVenezuelan leche cortada, curdled milk dessert recipe
Venezuelan leche cortada is whole milk curdled on purpose with lemon at 185°F (85°C), then simmered in its own whey with piloncillo. Firm curds in spiced syrup, 105 minutes for 10 servings, which milk works and how long it keeps.
Venezuelan drinks
Papelón con limón, cane sugar limeade served ice cold, is the house drink next to arepas or pabellón. Venezuelan chicha is cooked rice blended with milk and cinnamon, thick like the street-cart version, and a merengada is a fruit and milk shake for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
For hot days there is cocada, fresh coconut blended with ice, and tizana, diced fruit in orange juice eaten with a spoon. Fororo is a hot, thick toasted-corn drink, and ponche crema is the rum eggnog of December.
DrinksPapelón con Limón, Venezuelan Panela Limeade Recipe
Papelón con limón made with 125 g (4.4 oz) of papelón per liter, dissolved hot and topped up with cold water and lime, in 20 minutes. Serves 8. Lighter version, sugar per glass, a party batch for 20 and where to buy panela in the US and UK.
DrinksVenezuelan Chicha Recipe, Creamy Rice and Milk Drink
Venezuelan chicha is a thick, non-alcoholic drink of overcooked rice blended with milk, condensed milk and cinnamon, poured over crushed ice. This batch makes 10 glasses in 2 hours, with US and UK swaps, sugar control and party scaling.
DrinksVenezuelan Merengada, the Fruit Milkshake That Won't Curdle
Venezuelan merengada is strawberry, papaya or banana blended with cold whole milk, sugar and ice, 10 minutes for 4 glasses. Why passion fruit and pineapple curdle milk, how to thicken it without ice cream, dairy-free swaps and US cost.
DrinksVenezuelan Cocada, a Fresh Coconut Milkshake Recipe
Venezuelan cocada is a slushy coconut milkshake of fresh coconut meat, milk and condensed milk blended with ice, 20 minutes for 4 glasses. How to crack a coconut safely, frozen or canned swaps, dairy-free and storage.
DrinksVenezuelan Tizana, the Fruit Punch You Eat with a Spoon
Venezuelan tizana is diced tropical fruit in orange juice with grenadine, 200 g (7 oz) of fruit per glass, ready in 60 minutes for 6. When to add the banana and apple, a party plan for 24, US cost and how long it keeps.
DrinksFororo, Venezuelan Toasted Corn Drink Recipe
Venezuelan fororo is a hot toasted-corn drink simmered in milk with papelón and cinnamon, 80 g of flour per liter so it thickens without lumps. Ready in 20 minutes for 4 cups, with how to make the flour at home, pinole swap and storage.
DrinksVenezuelan Ponche Crema, the Rum Eggnog Cooked to 160°F
Venezuelan ponche crema is a thick rum eggnog of condensed and evaporated milk cooked to 160°F (71°C), ready in 40 minutes for two 750 ml bottles. Its alcohol content, a kid-safe version, how long it keeps in the fridge and gifting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the national dish of Venezuela?
Pabellón criollo: shredded beef, black beans, white rice and fried sweet plantains on one plate. The food Venezuelans eat every day is the arepa, and at Christmas the defining dish is the hallaca.
What do Venezuelans eat for breakfast?
Mostly arepas stuffed with white cheese, perico (scrambled eggs with tomato and onion), shredded beef or black beans and cheese, plus fried empanadas and bakery ham rolls, with coffee. In the Andes it is pastelitos and pisca, a potato and egg soup; in Zulia, mandocas.
Is Venezuelan food spicy?
No. The ají dulce in most sofritos is aromatic with almost no heat. Hot sauce is served on the side, so one pot works for kids and adults.
What is the difference between masarepa and masa harina?
Masarepa (P.A.N., Goya Masarepa) is precooked corn flour and is what arepas, cachapas and Venezuelan empanadas need. Masa harina is made from nixtamalized corn for tortillas, and with it arepa dough cracks and turns gritty. Cornmeal won't work either.
Which Venezuelan dishes are easiest for a beginner?
Arepas in 50 minutes, guasacaca in 15, papelón con limón in 20 and cachapas in about an hour. For dessert, chocolate marquesa needs no oven.
Where can I buy Venezuelan ingredients in the US or UK?
In the US, P.A.N. and Goya Masarepa are in the Latin aisle of most large supermarkets, and panela or piloncillo, plantains and queso blanco are in Latin stores. In the UK, halloumi works as hard white cheese, plantains are sold in many supermarkets and Caribbean shops, and dark brown sugar stands in for papelón.