In Venezuela, since colonization, three types of bread mark the process of "civilization", culminating in the founding of the European style cities in the New Continent.
The first came from the native nomad Indians inhabiting the extensive tropical forests where Yucca grew. From it, they made a kind of thin pancake called "casabe".
The second is the "arepa", made of maize flour, grown by the natives in small indigenous villages. This is the one offered in our menu.
The third and final type of bread, consumed exclusively by the ruling classes, is that made from wheat, a 16th century European import. It was (and still is) the only kind accepted for the sacrament of the Eucharist, which gave it an aura of political and religious power.
The arepa was made from moistened maize, ground between stones to produce a pliable dough. Later they were formed into discs and heated to a high temperature on earthenware tiles called "aripos", hence the name.
Arepas have always been the traditional breakfast food for most Venezuelan families. They are our "daily bread", as they replace almost completely the use of wheat bread. . With a wide variety of usually savoury fillings, the arepa is a complete and nourishing food. Each region has its own specialities, some even sweeten them with "papelón" (unrefined brown loaf sugar) and spice them with aniseed.
