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Gastronomy
Venezuelan food is marked by its cultural history resulting in a mixture of African, European and aboriginnal stews.
Typical Venezuelan dishes contain rice, fried bananas and meat, which, however, is often replaced with fish or sea fruit in the oriental part of the country.
The essence of Venezuelan food is grain (corn, beans, lentils, etc.), tubers (cassava, potatoes, etc.) plantains and meat stews.
If you visit our country you should try:
Las arepas
They are like bread to the Venezuelans. Made of corn flour they are stuffed with scrambled eggs, meat, chicken, ham, cheese, sausages, crab, octopus, etc. Something for everybody's taste.
Empanadas
They are typical for the oriental part of the country (Nueva Esparta, Anzoátegui, Sucre ). They're also made of corn flour but this time fried with a touch of sweet. They come filled with baby shark, fried bananas, shredded beef, chicken, ham and pabellon.
Cachapas
A 2 cm thick cake made of sweet corn which can be eaten with just a little butter or with different kinds of cheeses.
Pabellón Criollo
This is the typical Venezuelan dish. White rice, shredded beef, fried bananas and black beans.
El Quesillo
This is a traditional sweet made of eggs, milk, condensed milk, vanilla, a touch of rum and caramel syrup.
Dulce de Lechosa
Made of green papaya, with spices and covered in syrup.
Other typical Venezuelan dishes are:
El Cazabe, which is the bread of the aboriginals, made of cassava (a tuber like potatoes), without salt and rich in fiber.
La Hallaca, is the typical Christmas plate. It's made of a corn mass which is stretched to a thin cake. On top they put a beef, chicken and pork stew, onions, olives, raisons, a bit of chicken and a few pickles. Then this mass with all its ingredients inside is covered in banana leaves and cooked in boiling water for an hour.
All these dishes are accompanied by fresh fruit juices like: mango, papaya, orange, lemon, banana, coconut, passion fruit, melon, pineapple or guava apple juice. Other typical Venezuelan beverages are: papelon (a mixture gotten from the sugar cane) with lemon and sugar cane juice with lemon.
The traditional Venezuelan beer is Polar, however, there are other brands conquering the market such as Brahma and Regional.
Venezuelan rum is internationally known for its exquisite aroma and its excellent bouquet. The most famous ones are: el Pampero (the “aniversario” being the best of all), la Gran Reserva, el Cacique, el Diplomático and Santa Teresa.
In the last few years Venezuela has started to produce its own wines. These are light and fresh wines with fruity aromas. They've been designed to be enjoyed in a tropical climate. The grapes used for its production are low in sugars therefore the alcohol levels of the wines are relatively low.
Because of its great coffee history, the most popular hot beverage is coffee, which is grown in the country's plantations. After a nice meal a “guayoyito” (clear black coffee) will help your digestion.
In this section of gastronomy we can't leave out the priced Venezuelan cocoa. It's known worldwide for its aroma and taste. The most widely produced one in Venezuela is the so called Creole Theobroma, which is used for making high quality chocolate.
