The arepa is the queen of Venezuelan food. It is a cornerstone of the Venezuelan diet, and is usually eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner. It can be served on its own or as an accompaniment to a meal.

As a born and raised Venezuelan, I’ve eaten arepas almost every day of my life since I was a toddler. This iconic dish is served in fancy dinner parties as well as the most humble of family tables. In fact, Venezuelans have eaten arepas since the beginning of time. It evolved from being a Native American dish to a nation-wide treat that substituted the European bread.

Although there are several corn-based round breads in Latin America, the arepa is very different from Mexican “gorditas” or Salvadorian “pupusas”. The arepa is made with cooked and ground corn, kneaded to make a soft dough and then cooked in a budare, a type of round grill made of clay or iron.

The preparation of arepas goes back to native ancestors, who sowed, harvested and processed the corn. The result of this long procedure is a dough made of cooked and ground corn. The grinding was previously done between two smooth and flat stones, then the cooking was done on the budare, also known as aripo, and from this utensil derives the name of this famous dish. It is one of the few indigenous cooking traditions that has remained popular across the nation today.

Nowadays, there are various ways to cook an arepa. If you want to go the healthy route, then you can grill them in a budare or pan lightly greased with cooking oil. Oftentimes, they are grilled for a few minutes on every side before going into the oven. On the other hand, deep fried arepas are quite popular too. No matter how they were cooked they always deliver a delicious flavor that pairs beautifully with a wide variety of fillings.

The most surprising thing about arepas is how versatile they can be. You can't imagine the thousand and one ways that you can fill the arepa. A classic is a simple mix of cheese with butter, but you can also eat them with bacon, ham, egg, avocado, fish, chicken and even beans!  Let your imagination run wild in creating the flavors you would like to go with your arepas.

One of my favorite breakfasts is the traditional Venezuelan breakfast.  This is a freshly baked arepa filled with grated cheese; “perico” (literally, parakeet) a scrambled egg made with onion, tomatoes and sweet peppers; fried black beans and shredded meat. This scramble is still my go-to recipe for when I’m feeling homesick!

One of my all-time favorites is the “Reina Pepiada” (queen pepiada). This is a filling made with shredded flavored chicken, creamy avocado and tangy mayonnaise. It is just as decadent and delicious as it sounds.