Venezuelan Cuisine with Ximena

Celebrating the Hispanic Heritage Month

The rich Venezuelan cuisine is a rainbow of flavours and ingredients that it adopted from different countries – Spain, Portugal, France and Italy; African migrants from centuries ago as well as some Native American tribes. Some of the main ingredients that are usually used in Venezuelan food include white, yellow and purple corn (used widely to prepare all sorts of breads and tortillas), rice, plantain, yams, yucca, beans and different types of meats.

Ximena shared some of the heritage dishes in her cooking class and those beautiful stories from the Hispanic Culture!

On the menu:

Arepas – 4 ways

Arepa is a traditional Venezuela food item, which is also the national bread of Venezuela. Venezuelans have been making and eating arepas for more than 2,000 years. They are eaten any time of day, as a snack, side or the main meal. They are served solo, stuffed or in soups and enjoyed in so many different ways. The range of arepa fillings in Venezuela’s food history is mouthwatering and you would want to try them all. In this class we will make 4 different Arepas – with beets, Spinach, Turmeric and plain.

Ximena will also taught 3 different fillings:

• Reina Pepiada

Named after a Venezuelan beauty queen, this filling is made with diced onion, avocado and mayo and shredded chicken.

• Pelúa

Pelúa means hairy, which is how this arepa looks thanks to the carne mechada (shredded beef) and shredded cheese filling strands poking out of the opening.

• Venezuelan Cheese

The ultimate way to enjoy Arepas! Popular cheeses in Venezuela are soft queso blanco, mozzarella-like queso de mano and shredded hard-cheese queso rallado.

Papelón con limón (lemonade)

Only three simple ingredients – Papelón , limes, and water! The star of this drink is papelón, panela, or also known as piloncillo, an unrefined sugar cane that is very popular in this region.

Mandoca

is a cornmeal that is deep fried and is best enjoyed hot. Mandoca is usually prepared with corn meal, sugar or Papelon, and stripped cheese. Papelon is a different kind of sugar, which is made up of sugar cane. Ximena will teach the traditional Mandoca with plantain. Scrumptious as well as healthy, Mandoca has proved to be one of the most favorite dishes of Venezuela.

About the Host

Ximena Montilla is a Venezuelan and Spanish educator who loves to teach her native language through its culture and gastronomy. She has always loved cooking. She learned to cook with her father and Grand mother when she was a little girl. The kitchen and the library were her favorite places at home. Her family was and still it’s a big melting pot of cultures, and all of them love cooking reading and sharing recipes.

Cooking for the ones you love is a family tradition that helps her feel at home wherever she goes. For Ximena Venezuelan recipes are full of flavor and good memories. Ximena has a small publishing company that publishes books to learn about Hispanic Culture and its Gastronomy. She has worked with many famous Venezuelan chefs and Gastronomers who collaborated with her social projects.