Arepas are vegan, gluten-free and paleo-friendly. So what are they? In short, Arepas are cornmeal cake pockets with a variety of tasty fillings.
Arepas are wonderful, time-efficient dishes used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Small, disk-like bundles of corn dough filled with various fillings and later fried to perfection.
They are a Hispanic cornbread and go by many names depending on the Spanish region. For example, in Mexico they are called Gorditas. In Panama and Venezuela, they are Changa.
You can also use Arepas for dessert, like the Dominican made them with cornmeal and sweet coconuts. The dish has become very popular because of its versatility- and I can’t get enough!
WHAT IS AN AREPA MADE OF?
Traditional ingredients are pre-cooked cornmeal, water, and salt. Once the dough forms, arepas are fried or filled with stuffing.
It is unclear the meaning of its name. However, from Latin roots arepas means pan bread. We do know that arepas’ origins trace back to South America, close to the region of Colombia and Venezuela. From there, the dish branches off- from the sweet Puerto Rican arepas (called Arepas de Coco) to the spicy, stuffed arepas of Salvador (called Pupusas).
The original corn arepas are made by soaking ground corn (corn maize), or MASA Harina flour in water, then turning it into dough. This makes arepas gluten-free as gluten is not naturally present in corn. From here, the dough rolls out into a disk-like shape, fried, and sat aside to cool. They have since evolved into stuffed arepas or arepas sandwiches where the dough is filled with protein, cheeses, and spices before frying.
In Venezuelan culture, they are Cachapas– thin tortillas you use for wraps. This makes them an easy breakfast item.
COLOMBIAN AREPAS VS. VENEZUELAN AREPAS
They are differ mainly in taste and size. Usually, Colombian Arepas are larger and flatter than Venezuelan Arepas.
🫓 Colombian-Style– stick closely to the original corn, water, and salt recipe. Adding a bit of oil and cheese and maybe a seasoning- or two- the Colombian Arepa looks toward tradition.
🫓 Venezuelan-Style– are a bit more festive and resemble pancakes. Venezuelan Arepas are Cachapas or Changas, which means “crumpet” in Spanish. In traditional Venezuelan Arepa recipes, cornmeal, water, and salt were all you needed.
Now, a few Colombian arepas come with a cheese filling called Arepas de Queso or Arepas Con Queso, in which they form the dough and then stuff the center with butter and cheese before frying.
A delicious filling, you can add vegan cheeses as well! Simply create a pocket in the middle of the dough after frying, stiff in vegan cheeses, and add to the fryer once more.
AREPAS RECIPE
In our recipe, we kept to the tradition. By using pre-cooked white cornmeal to create a soft dough, these flat cornbreads are chewy and heartwarming when cooked. Go the extra mile and top with vegan cheeses, refried beans, or jams! You can even stack them together to make a breakfast sandwich!
- Pre-cooked Cornmeal – white corn or yellow corn of your choice. Use this brand only, Harina P.A.N Arepa flour (aka “masa de arepa” or ” masarepa“)
- Water – Luke warm
- Salt– high-quality sea salt.
HOW TO MAKE AREPAS
Check out the full recipe at: https://joyfuldumplings.com/gluten-free-arepas/
