What is arepas? Where to find the best of the tasty dish invented by Venezuela and Colombia

Arepas can be stuffed or topped with a variety of ingredients, from fresh cheese, to shredded meats, to egg or even beans.Credit: Getty Images

THE DISH

Arepas, Venezuela/Colombia

PLATE UP

You'll note something odd about this entry: two countries of origin. Can a dish be invented by two countries? In the case of arepas, the delicious South American corn cakes, I'm going to hesitantly say … yes. You can read about that below. Meanwhile let's talk about the substance here, flat cakes, usually grilled or fried, made using ground maize. Arepas can be stuffed or topped with a variety of ingredients, from fresh cheese, to shredded meats, to egg or even beans – or, gloriously, a combination of any of the above. Eat them from street vendors who pump out these affordable staples almost 24/7.

FIRST SERVE

Arepas are a cherished staple in Venezuela and Colombia, and both countries claim their origin. The truth is that both are probably right. Arepas are a traditional food of indigenous groups who live in an area that, in the pre-Columbian era, was part of territory owned by both Venezuela and Colombia. Later, the area was split between the two – at which point, two different arepa cultures developed. These maize cakes only achieved mainstream popularity in 1950, when Dr Luis Caballero Mejias, a Venezuelan, invented pre-cooked arepa flour.

ORDER THERE

Given security issues in Venezuela, I'm going to recommend a spot in Colombia: Andres Carne de Res (andrescarnederes.com) in Bogota. Though arepas are typically street food, this is a great spot to sit down and enjoy.

ORDER HERE

In Melbourne, try iArepa Market St (iarepa.com.au) in the city. In Sydney, check out the huge range of arepas at La Latina in Chatswood (lalatina.yqme.com.au).

ONE MORE THING

The original style of arepa production pioneered by pre-Colombian indigenous groups was seriously time-consuming: one method involved chewing uncooked corn as a way of processing it into an uncooked paste; others used large stones to crush the kernels.