History
Arepas are a pre-Columbian food (meaning they predate Columbus’ voyages). They were made by the Native American in the Andes of what is now Western Venezuela. A variation made from Yucca was also eaten by other tribes. The word Arepa comes from the word meaning “corn bread” in the native language. They were originally made from dried fresh corn, but for convenience they are now made usually from Masarepa or Masa Harina. Masarepa is not nixtamalized like Masa Harina, meaning it is not treated with lime or ash (which are alkaline). Masarepa has a milder flavor, but less minerals than Masa Harina.
Essence
I will admit that it is a bit subjective to try to define what the ingredients and preparation of arepas are. Technically, it is just a cornmeal flatbread. Originally they would have been eaten plain as bread at any meal. This style is called “viuda.” Currently, they can either be stuffed like an empanada or they are cut in half and eaten like a sandwich. Any arepa that is filled is called “arepa rellena.” Just like any bread, you can add anything into an arepa, but certain fillings (like shredded beef and cheese, or chicken and avocado) are as common as chicken salad or pulled pork sandwiches in America. They can be any size, though they are most often about the size of an English muffin. They can be grilled, fried, baked, even steamed, though I prefer sauteed.
So since I am being subjective, for my purposes we will be making Arepas Rellenas and they must include
- some kind of ground corn mixed with water to make a dough,
- the dough shaped into wide and thin rounds,
- cooked to have a crispy exterior and a soft interior
- includes a filling added either before or after cooking
A traditional Venezuelan arepa rellena recipe might go something like this:
- 2 cups Masarepa blanca (or Masa Harina or white cornmeal)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 ½ cups warm water (or more or less to get a texture you like)
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken
- 1 ripe avocado cut into chunks
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
- 2 Scallions, sliced thin
- juice from 1 lime
- dash of chili powder
- just enough mayo to bind ingredients together, or to taste
1. Whisk whatever cornmeal you are using with the salt and baking powder. Add the water and mix to form a dough. The wetter the dough the lighter arepa will be, but it will also be crumblier, so add water slowly until you get the dough how you want it.
2. Form the dough into whatever size rounds you like, but they should be ½-⅔ inch thick so they can be sliced later.
3. Saute the arepas over medium high heat until they are golden brown on both sides then bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
4. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Slice the arepas in half with a sharp knife, put filling inside and eat like a sandwich.
Outside of the ratios for making the arepas, you could change virtually anything about this recipe. You could just bake them; you could deep fry them; you could grill them. The same goes for the filling. You could use carnitas, shredded beef, anything really. In fact, the first variation I tried used refried beans and cheese.
Variations
There are a lot of existing variations on the arepa in Latin America. It is as popular in Columbia as it is in Venezuela. They have a great breakfast variation where the dough round is formed around a raw egg and then deep-fried cooking the egg in the process. But it is also found in many other countries like Puerto Rico, where it is made with coconut milk in the dough, and El Salvador, where it is called a Papusa. I decided to make Papusas because of a few interesting differences in the recipe. Both include a cornmeal, water, salt, and a filling. However, the Papusas used Nixtamalized cornmeal (Masa Harina), and cooked them with the filling, refried beans and cheese, already stuffed in. These arepas were pleasingly lighter than those using masarepa, but had a much stronger corn tortilla flavor.
El Salvadoran Papusas
- 3 cups masa harina
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 ½ cups warm water (or more or less to get to a workable texture)
- 1 cup of grated queso fresco (or mozzarella or farmer’s cheese)
- ½ cup your favorite refried beans (you can use canned if you don’t want to make your own)
- a little shredded cabbage, shredded carrot, and minced jalapeno tossed in a little vinegar and salt to taste
- your favorite red salsa
1. Whisk the masa harina, salt, and baking powder together. Add the water until you have a dough that does not crumble or crack.
2. Make the rounds whatever size you like, but make them thin, about ¼ inch. Add a small amount of cheese and refried beans onto half of the rounds then top with the other half of the rounds and pinch the edges closed.
3. Saute the arepas over medium high heat until they are golden brown on both sides then bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
4. Top with some of the cabbage/carrot mix and salsa and eat
Experiments
Now that I had made these two arepas I started to think about what new places I could go with them, which was surprisingly easy considering how versatile they are. I thought about which cuisines use cornmeal and went from there. The only challenge was making sure that my arepa dough worked each time if I changed what kind of cornmeal I used.
I had an idea for a pulled pork and coleslaw arepa, but instead decided to first make a New England arepa. I used the yellow cornmeal, the kind used to make cornbread, for my New England arepas. These arepas were very delicate raw, but formed very crisp exteriors and doughy interiors. I filled them with a chilled lobster salad, making it seem also like a variation on the classic lobster roll.
New England Arepas
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. minced celery
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. minced chives
- 1 lb. lobster meat cut into very small pieces
1. Whisk the cornmeal with the salt and baking powder. Add the water and mix to form a dough. The wetter the dough the lighter arepa will be, but it will also be crumblier, so add water slowly until you get the dough how you want it.
2. Form the dough into whatever size rounds you like, but they should be ½-⅔ inch thick so they can be sliced later.
3. Saute the arepas over medium high heat until they are golden brown on both sides then bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
4. Mix the remaining ingredients together. Slice the arepas in half with a sharp knife, put filling inside and eat like a sandwich.
My final experiment was to go Italian. I made polenta, formed it into rounds and then sauteed it. I made a filling of crumbled Italian sausage, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. This dish felt all Italy, though it was inspired by Venezuela.
Italian Arepas
- 2 cups quick-cooking grits
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 red bell pepper, minced
- ½ red onion, minced
- 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
- ½ can petite diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1. Whisk the grits with the salt and baking powder. Add the water and microwave until the mixture is malleable, but not runny.
2. Form the dough into whatever size rounds you like, but they should be ½-⅔ inch thick so they can be sliced later.
3. Saute the arepas over medium high heat until they are golden brown on both sides then bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
4. Saute the onions and peppers over medium high heat until just starting to brown. Add the italian sausage and cook until no longer pink. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes and red wine vinegar and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated.
4. Slice the arepas in half with a sharp knife, put filling inside and eat like a sandwich.
So what about you? Have you ever eaten Arepas before? What is your favorite filling? Are you inspired to try something new? Let me know if you have any good ideas.
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