What food means to your culture

These are the typical foods of Venezuela. Are a delight

 

Main dishes

Mandoca is the Venezuelan equivalent of a pretzel. It is a deep fried cornmeal ring that can be enjoyed while still hot, with butter and cheese. It is usually served at breakfast, and it is most popular in the western part of the country. The Mandoca is one of a variety of specialties exclusively created in the western state of Zulia. Though their relevance has been shaded by the new transnational tendencies because its creation was not intended for massive consumption or for marketing, it remains a basic and important part of the culinary culture of Zulia. It is made of corn meal, grated cheese, sugar or Papelón (most traditional recipes), which is a kind of sugar made from sugar cane and a variety of banana known asplantain, that must be very ripe when used.

Hallaca

In Venezuelan cuisine, an hallaca (alt. spelling, "hayaca") typically involves a mixture of beef, pork,chicken, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize (cornmeal dough), bound with string withinplantain leaves, and boiled or steamed afterwards. It is typically served during the Christmas holiday. In Trinidad and Tobago, hallaca is known as 'pastelle' but often confused with 'empanadas'.

Popular myth has it that in colonial times it was common for plantation owners to donate leftover Christmas food scraps, such as bits of pork and beef, to their slaves, who would then wrap them in cornmeal and plantain leaves for subsequent preparation and cooking, which could take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours.

An alternate theory notes the similarity between the hallaca (also known as hayaca) and the Spanish empanada gallega (Galician pastry), emphasizing that the fillings are almost identical. Hallacas would then be empanadas gallegas using specially prepared corn flour rather than wheat flour, and plantain leaf rather than expensive iron cooking molds not readily available in the new world in colonial times.

Cachapas are a traditional Venezuelan dish made from corn. Like arepas, they are popular at roadside stands. They can be made like pancakes of fresh corn dough, or wrapped in dry corn leaves and boiled (cachapa de hoja). The most common varieties are made with fresh ground corn mixed into a thick batter and cooked on a budare, like pancakes; the cachapa is slightly thicker and lumpier because of the pieces from corn kernels.

Cachapas are traditionally eaten with queso de mano (hand[made] cheese), a soft, mozzarella-like cheese, and occasionally with fried porkchicharrón on the side. Cachapas can be very elaborate, some including different kinds of cheese, milky cream, or jam. They can be prepared as an appetizer, generally with margarine, or as a full breakfast with hand cheese and fried pork.

Chicken salad is any salad that comprises chicken as a main ingredient. Other common ingredients include mayonnaise, hard-boiled egg, celery, pepper, peas and a variety of mustards.

In the United States it refers to a salad consisting primarily of chopped chicken meat and a binder such as mayonnaise or salad dressing. Like tuna salad and egg salad, it may be served on top of lettuce, tomato, avocado, or some combination of these. It may also be used for sandwiches. Typically it is made with leftover or canned chicken. 

Black beans

The small, shiny black turtle bean is especially popular in Latin American cuisine, though it can also be found in Cajun and Creole cuisines of south Louisiana. It is often called simply the black bean (frijol negro, zaragoza, poroto negro, caraota o habichuela negra in Spanish, feijão preto inPortuguese), although this can cause confusion with other black beans.

The black turtle bean has a dense, meaty texture, which makes it popular in vegetarian dishes, such as the Mexican-American black bean burrito. It is a very popular bean in various regions of Brazil, and is used in the national dish, feijoada. It is also a main ingredient of Moros y Cristianos in Cuba, is a must-have in the typical gallo pinto of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, is a fundamental part of pabellón criollo in Venezuela, and is served in almost all of Latin America, as well as many Hispanic enclaves in the United States. The black turtle bean is also popular for making into soups. In Cuba, black bean soup is a traditional dish and it is served with white rice.

It is also common to keep the boiled water of these beans (which acquires a black coloring) and consume it as a soup with other ingredients for seasoning (known as sopa negra, black soup), as a broth (caldo de frijol, bean broth) or to season or color other dishes (aforementionedgallo pinto, for example).

Sopa de mondongo is a soup made from slow-cooked diced tripe (the cleaned stomach of a cow) and, vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, cabbage, celery, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic or root vegetables originating from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Tostones (from the Spanish verb tostar which means "to toast") or patacones are a popular side dish in many Latin American countries. The dish is made from sliced green (unripe) plantains cut either length-wise or width-wise and are twice fried. The slices of plantains are fried for one to two minutes on each side until they are golden in color, and removed and patted for excess oil. Afterwards, they are pounded flat with a utensil made for the task, called a tostonera, or any kitchen utensil that has a large enough flat surface. The plantains are then fried once again until they are crisp and golden brown.

Tostones are salted and eaten much like potato chips/crisps or French fries/chips. In some regions, it is customary to dip them in mojo (a garlic sauce). In some countries, they are served topped with cheese as an appetizer, or with shrimp ceviche, pulled chicken or avocado salad

Perico is a Venezuelan and Colombian popular dish prepared with scrambled eggs, butter, sautéed diced onions, and tomatoes. It may also include ground peppers, annatto and occasionally hot peppers. It can be regarded as a tropical version of scrambled eggs, and can be eaten alone, with bread, usually at breakfast time; or at any time, as an arepa filling.

 

Beverages

Papelón con limón is a refreshing Venezuelan beverage made with papelón (raw hardened sugar cane pulp), water, and usually lime or sometimes lemon juice.

It is usually served during the hottest hours of the day, and commonly offered with traditional Venezuelan food, such as arepas, cachapas orhervidos (rich chicken or beef stew

Ponche crema is a Venezuelan cream-based liqueur. Recipes vary depending on the region, but main ingredients typically include milk,eggs, sugar, rum, and other minor ingredients such as vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and lemon rind. A variant type is prepared with concentrated liquid coffee or instant coffee powder. However, most references to the ponche crema name aim at a traditional commercial product, available since 1900, whose recipe and manufacturing process are famously concealed. Ponche crema is a beverage traditionally served in Venezuela and neighboring Trinidad and Tobago during Christmas time, much as eggnog is in the United States. It is usually served cold, in small cups, either as an aperitif or a pousse-café.

Cocada is a traditional Brazilian sweet made mainly from coconut. It originates from Bahia state. The recipes may vary, but usually use yolks, coconut milk, condensed milk, fruit syrup and sugar. One common variation is the black cocada made with brown sugar and slightly burned coconut.

In Brazil, "rei da cocada" (cocada king) is used to refer to an arrogant person who thinks too highly of himself.

Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit (such as a graham cracker crust), pastry or sponge cake. They may bebaked or unbaked. Cheesecakes are frequently sweetened with sugar and may be flavored or topped with fruit, nuts, fruit sauce and/or chocolate.

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