Street Staple · Grilled Corn Cake

Arepa

Name: Arepa recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 (6 arepas) servings
Ingredients: 2 cups (about 250 g) pre-cooked white cornmeal (masarepa, or harina precocida; not regular cornmeal); About 2½ cups (600 ml) warm water (start with 2¼ cups and add as needed, as brands differ); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon oil, plus more for the pan; Fillings: shredded beef or chicken, black beans, white cheese, avocado

Photo: Steven Depolo from Grand Rapids, MI, USA / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

The clay griddle it's cooked on, the budare, predates the Spanish — fragments of pre-Columbian clay griddles have been found in Venezuela and Colombia.

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.

What is Arepa?

An arepa is a round, flat cake of cooked maize dough, griddled until it has a crisp crust and a soft inside. It is split open and stuffed with fillings such as shredded beef, black beans, cheese or avocado, and it is eaten across Venezuela and Colombia.

Both countries claim it. In Venezuela arepas are usually thicker and stuffed, and in Colombia they are often thinner and served as a side or topped with cheese.

How to make arepas

Serves 4 (6 arepas) · prep 20 min · cook 25 min

Ingredients

2 cups (about 250 g) pre-cooked white cornmeal (masarepa, or harina precocida; not regular cornmeal)
About 2½ cups (600 ml) warm water (start with 2¼ cups and add as needed, as brands differ)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil, plus more for the pan
Fillings: shredded beef or chicken, black beans, white cheese, avocado

Method

Stir the salt into the warm water, then gradually mix in the cornmeal and oil to make a soft, moist dough without lumps.
Cover and rest for 5 minutes, then knead briefly. The dough should feel like soft play-dough and not stick to your hands; add a little more cornmeal or water if needed.
Divide into 6 balls, then flatten each to a disc about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick. Smooth the cracks around the edges with wet fingers.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the arepas for 5–7 minutes on each side until a golden crust forms and they sound hollow when tapped.
For a softer, cooked-through centre, finish them in a 180 °C oven for 10 minutes. Split open and fill while hot.

Tips

Use pre-cooked cornmeal (masarepa). Plain cornmeal or polenta will not form a dough.
Keep the dough moist. If the edges crack when you shape it, add a spoonful of water.
Medium heat is enough. Too hot and the crust burns before the middle is cooked.
Split arepas open while still hot and stuff them straight away.

Regional versions

Reina pepiada, a classic Venezuelan filling, is shredded chicken mixed with avocado and mayonnaise.
Colombian arepas are often thinner and topped with cheese, or filled with cheese in the dough.
Arepas can be baked, fried or grilled; the street version is cooked on a flat griddle called a budare.