Venezuela, from the beginning of its development, it has characterized by having a great variety of cultures and traditions from other countries that came together in it. Nowadays, due to the circumstance that Venezuela suffers, many people have emigrated to different parts of the world, and to not to lose traditions and customs, large Venezuelan companies have tried to be adopted abroad, sending wonderful and great-tasting products.
Which products are imported?
In Venezuela, there is a wide and large number of unique products that are essential to achieve the original flavor of each “Venezuelan food”. The most traditional is “Harina Pan”, from Polar Companies, it is the most versatile and useful, to make arepas, Hallacas, Mandocas among many other food dishes. More products that can be obtained online are fororo, Mavesa butter, black beans, lollipops, malta, among many more products.
What is Fororo?
It is a food-based on toasted and finely ground corn. It has a floury texture and is a compliment that is part of breakfasts and snacks for many of the children. It can be prepared as a drink with milk or in its original presentation, mixed with sugar, cocoa, and powdered milk.
It is a food rich in minerals and vitamins, which greatly helps the growth of children. Some of its vitamins include A, B, C, E, and K, as well as folic acid, pantothenic acid, and minerals such as iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and many others.
Where is a Fororo from?
Its origins date back to colonial times when Europeans brought with them different ways to consume corn. In the Canary Islands, the Spanish used to prepare flours, based on roasting and grinding seeds, such as wheat, rye, corn among others, it is also known by the name of ¨gofio“ in many other cultures, and it is the name that is given internationally. It was adopted to our culture, until the present time since it is an excellent option when it comes to nutritious food.
What is Harina Pan?
It is a fine powder that is obtained by grinding corn using different methods. It is traditional of indigenous peoples, but it has become more common to eat it throughout the region of the country.
It is a brand created by the Venezuelan corporation Empresas Polar, to identify the precooked corn flour with which many of the country’s typical dishes are prepared, such as arepa, hallacas, Cachapas, Hallaquitas, among many others.
Where is a Harina Pan from?
It was the name that Empresas Polar gave it in the 1960s, a year after buying the patent from Luis Caballero Mejias. It is used for the famous arepas, empanadas, polenta among others. From the 1960s to the present day, “Harina PAN” has achieved significant changes such as the incorporation of components that help strengthen the body and new presentations that facilitate kitchen work.
What is Mavesa?
It is a base of vegetable origin, which resembles cream, with a creamy and salty texture, which is used for a wide variety of dishes and sweets, both Venezuelan and foreign, such as cakes, sweet and savory, for cachapas, stuffed with arepas, to prepare pancakes, among many more.
Where is Mavesa from?
It originated breaking paradigms, margarine itself was, by then, a product that had no name or appeared in the country’s food records. It was presented as a novel copy of butter, but of vegetable origin that, moreover, was sold at half price; it was a global innovation.
What are “caraotas negras”?
They are typical Venezuelan grains harvested since colonial times. They have an immense amount of nutrients, which is why it has always been around the tables of the inhabitants of this land.
What are caraotas negras made of?
Each region of the country, and even each family, has its way of preparing these delicious grains: in Caracas they make them with more broth, in the East a little creamier, with a sweet touch, and in Guyana with a little spice; but there is one that is the most common of all and today we are going to explain it to you.
RECIPE
Ingredients:
- ¾ kilograms of black beans
- 10 cups of water
- 1 onion cut in two
- ½ red bell pepper
- 350 grams of papelón in small pieces
- 3 tablespoons of salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup salted bacon cut into very small pieces
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 cup of grated onion
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed.
Preparation
Choose the beans eliminating all the impurities, place them in water and discard those that float, in a pressure cooker place with the 10 cups of water, the chopped onion, and the paprika, bring to a boil, and cook them for 1 hour or until they soften, remove the pot from the heat, letting them cool to uncover them after they rest, remove the paprika, onion and in the same uncovered pot add the papelón, salt, pepper and about 6 or 8 cups of water more, they continue cooking and you remove any foam that may form on
Cook until very soft. In a separate small pot, brown the bacon pieces, until they are dark and release enough fat. The solids are eliminated, reserving the fat, there are added the grated onion and garlic, let it brown and add to the beans, cook for about 30 more minutes. When they are ready, add 2 tablespoons of oil and serve them with white rice, Creole, or oriental pavilion.
Venezuelan culture is as broad as its gastronomic products; and every day new elements are added to complement it, making it grow exponentially.