Caracas travel guide

Arepa

Venezuela's daily bread and cultural touchstone—thick cornmeal patties grilled or fried, split and stuffed with any filling from shredded beef to chicken salad to black beans with cheese; eaten morning, noon and night as the backbone of Venezuelan eating

Pabellón criollo

Venezuela's national dish—four elements on one plate: shredded flank steak stewed in tomato sauce, creamy black beans, white rice and caramelized sweet fried plantain; the combination of flavors defines Venezuelan home cooking completely

Cachapa

Sweet yellow corn pancake made from hand-ground fresh corn, cooked until the natural sugars caramelize at the edges; served with Venezuelan queso de mano (fresh white cheese); the corn is barely-processed and intensely fragrant

Tequeños

Venezuela's irresistible fried bread sticks—dough wrapped around Venezolean white cheese and deep-fried to a crispy exterior with a molten cheese center; the definitive party food and airport snack; the cheese pull is mandatory and theatrical

Hallacas (Christmas)

Venezuela's supreme labor-of-love dish made only at Christmas—spiced stewed meat with raisins and olives folded into cornmeal masa, wrapped in plantain leaves and boiled; every family has 200-year-old recipes requiring hours of multi-generational communal work

Fresh juices

Venezuela's staggering fruit diversity—guanábana (soursop), níspero (loquat), zapote, parchita (passion fruit) and tamarind—turned into cold batidos at Mercado Guaicaipuro; vendors blend seasonal fruit with milk, water or both to order from early morning