Venezuelan cuisine

Venezuelan cuisine is influenced by its European (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French), West African and Native American traditions. Venezuelan cuisine varies greatly from one region to another. Food staples include corn, rice, plantain, yams, beans and several meats. Potatoes, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, squashes, spinach and zucchini are also common sides in the Venezuelan diet.

Main dishes

Name	Image	Description
Arepa		Ground maize dough or cooked
Bistec a caballo		"Steak on horseback" Beef steak with a fried egg over it
Cachapa		A maize pancake
Cachitos (de jamón)		Similar to French croissant filled with ham.
Caraotas negras		Black beans, usually eaten at lunch time, with rice, banana and shredded meat, or pabellon.
Casabe		A flat bread made of bitter cassava.
Chicharrón		Corn dough filled with meat or chicken stew boiled in tomato sauce.
Chupe Andino		Various stews and soups of the Andes region
Corbullón de mero		Grouper with onions, peppers, and tomato in a winesauce
Ensalada de pollo		Chicken salad, usually made with mayo, green cabbage and carrot.
Lengua de Res		Beef tongue "a la vinagretta" (in a vinaigrette)
Mandoca		deep fried cornmeal ring
Mondongo		Soup made from diced tripe and slow cooked vegetables
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
Hervido de gallina		Hen soup
Pabellón criollo		Creole pavilion, the national dish rice, shredded beef in stew and stewed black beans
Pastel de pollo		Chicken pot pie
Pastelito		Puff pastry, its one of the most famous Venezuelan foods, from the Venezuelan Andes, it is made by flour corn, cheese, and chicken, usually pastelitos are eaten at breakfast.
Pasticho		a local version of the Greek dish pastitsio; from the Italian pasticcio.
Perico		Scrambled eggs, butter, sautéed diced onions, and tomatoes; used often to fill an arepa.
Pisca Andina		Soup commonly served in the Andes
Polenta		Also known as "Funche" in some areas of the country.

Typical snacks

Name	Image	Description
Tequeño		Fried breaded cheese stick
Tostones and patacones		common side dish for fried fish, typically eaten at the beach. Used too to make the "zulian patacon" a kind of sandwich made with tostones as a toast
Empanadas		Served as snacks from street vendors. Can also be eaten for full meal.
Patatas fritas		a potato snack fried like chips or french fries.

Beverages

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

• Beer
• Chicha
• Cocada – Coconut milkshake, found mostly in coastal areas.
• Mango juice
• Passion fruit juice
• Malta – Non-alcoholic carbonated malt.
• Papelón con limón
• Ponche crema
• Rum
• Tequila - Served at celebration

Breads

• 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

• Bienmesabe
• Cannoli – often called "cannoli siciliano"
• Mousse de chocolate
• Pudín de chocolate – chocolate pudding
• Quesillo – local–style caramel flan.
• Brazo gitano (the Spanish Swiss roll)

Other foods

• Salpicón

See also

• Latin American cuisine
• South American cuisine