Street Staple · Grilled Corn Cake

Arepa

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Venezuelans have been eating some version of this corn cake for over 2,000 years — long before the Spanish ever arrived.

Arepa is a round, unleavened cake of ground maize dough, grilled or griddled until it forms a crisp crust around a soft interior, then split open and stuffed with fillings like shredded beef, black beans, or cheese. Street vendors called areperos cook them to order on a flat griddle called a budare, selling them from carts and stalls at all hours.

Why it's made this way: Its origins trace to indigenous groups like the Timoto-Cuica, who were grinding corn into dough long before Spanish colonization; the arepa endured because corn was the region's staple grain.