Venezuelan cuisine facts for kids

Venezuelan cuisine is influenced by its European (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French), West African, and indigenous traditions. Venezuelan cuisine varies greatly from one region to another. Food staples include corn, rice, plantains, yams, beans and several meats. Potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, squashes, spinach and zucchini are also common side dishes in the Venezuelan diet. Ají dulce and papelón are found in most recipes. Worcestershire sauce is also used frequently in stews. Venezuela is also known for having a large variety of white cheese (queso blanco), usually named by geographical region.

Main dishes

Name	Image	Description
Arepa		Ground maize dough cooked, typically grilled on a budare (which is similar to a comal) or deep-fried in a regular pan. The arepa is served filled, similar to a sandwich. There are many fillings including shredded beef, black beans, Venezuelan cheese, ham, fish. Some fillings have proper names. Reina Pepiada (old Venezuelan Spanish for "curvy queen") is a filling for arepa composed of avocado, chicken, and mayonnaise. This particular filling is named after the Venezuelan beauty queen Susana Duijm.
Arepa andina		Same as arepas but made with wheat. Popular in the Venezuelan Andes region.
Cachapa		A maize pancake, usually filled with fresh cheese and/or fried pork
Cachitos (de jamón)		Similar to French croissant filled with ham
Caraotas negras		Black beans, usually eaten at lunch time, with rice, plantains and shredded meat, or pabellón
Casabe		A flat bread made of bitter cassava
Chicharrón		Typically fried pork rinds and eaten as a snack, or as a side dish
Chupe andino		A soup traditionally made with cheese, shredded chicken or hen, vegetables and cream.
Ensalada de pollo		Chicken salad, usually made with mayo, green cabbage and carrots
Hallaca		Typical Christmas dish, hallacas typically have a mixture of beef, pork, chicken, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize (cornmeal dough), bound with string within plantain leaves, and boiled or steamed afterwards
Huevos pericos		Scrambled eggs, butter, sautéed diced onions, and tomatoes; used often to fill an arepa
Hervido de gallina		Hen soup, usually with chunks of corn, potatoes, carrots and local root vegetables such as cassava, ñam, auyama (name for local variety of pumpkin), ocumo (cocoyam), and seasoned with onions, garlic, and cilantro
Mandoca		Deep fried cornmeal ring
Mondongo		Soup made from diced tripe and slow cooked vegetables
Pabellón criollo		Creole pavilion, the national dish: white rice, shredded beef in stew, tajadas (fried ripe plantains) and stewed black beans
Pastel de pollo		Chicken pot pie
Polvorosa de pollo		Caracas version of chicken pot pie made with pâte sablée
Pastelitos		Fried puff pastries, it's one of the most famous Venezuelan foods from the Venezuelan Andes. These are made with wheat flour for the dough, and filled with cheese, and chicken for example. Usually pastelitos are eaten at breakfast
Pasticho		Similar to the Greek dish pastitsio and the Italian lasagna
Polenta		Also known as "funche" in some areas of the country

Typical snacks

Name	Image	Description
Tajadas		Fried ripe plantain slices
Tequeños		Deep-fried breaded cheese sticks
Tostones and patacones		Tostones are a common side dish for fried fish, typically eaten at the beach. They are also used to make the "Zulian patacón", which is a kind of sandwich made using tostones instead of bread
Empanadas		Served as snacks by street vendors; can also be eaten as a full meal. The dough is made with corn flour, similar to arepas, and the fillings are typically cheese, stewed black beans, shredded beefs, among others
Pastelitos		Same as empanada but made from wheat. Common in the Venezuelan Andes region.

Beverages

A tequeño is prepared with bread dough with queso blanco duro (hard white cheese) in the middle.

Breads

• Casabe – cassava flatbread
• Pan dulce – Spanish for "sweet bread"
• Pan de jamón – usually filled with ham, olives, and raisins and usually eaten during the Christmas season

Desserts

Venezuelan dessert called quesillo

• Alfajor – maize cookie with arequipe and grated coconut
• Bienmesabe
• Brazo gitano (the Spanish Swiss roll)
• Conserva de guayaba - Guava confection
• Pudín de chocolate – chocolate pudding
• Dulce de lechosa Green papaya slowed cooked in a syrup flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla
• Mousse de chocolate
• Quesillo – local–style caramel flan
• Polvorosas – butter cookies with cinnamon

Cheese

A cachapa with queso de mano

Queso blanco is very popular in Venezuela. It is produced all over Venezuela with different flavors and textures. The name of each variety of cheese is usually related to the geographical region.

Other foods

• Salpicón

See also

In Spanish: Gastronomía de Venezuela para niños