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November 08, 2005
Meet the Arepa
On my way home from an Oktoberfest outing with coworkers at Zum Schneider tonight, I passed the Caracas Arepa Bar. It looked packed, I was a little hungry, and I was intrigued by the description of the Venezuela "arepa": It's a dense corn tortilla that sounded like it had more flavor than your average Mexican corn tortilla, and can be stuffed with a variety of fillings: cheese, black beans, plantains, etc. I read a bunch of favorable reviews posted in the window, eyed the scene, walked away, thought about the arepas, decided to live dangerously (I had already eaten), and came back. I went in and ordered one called "La del Gato" to go. It came with avocado, plantains, and a kind of cheese I've since forgotten the name of. It's round -- about the size of a hamburger bun. It was excellent after-drinking comfort food. There's something about it that makes you crave another one. I can't wait to try the cheddar version and the one with black beans. It's somewhat of a staple in Venezuela, and I can see why -- it's basic, filling, and can be made a thousand different ways. It's a nice variation on a sandwich, and it's also fresh and warm.
Posted by csageday at November 8, 2005 11:50 PM