- Some typical dishes of Carabobeña gastronomy
- Snapper sancocho
- Tostones and beach plate
- Corn-based dishes
- San Esteban region
- Panelitas of San Joaquín
- References
The typical food of the Carabobo state presents quite traditional dishes of the Venezuelan gastronomy and known throughout its territory, but with certain details that make it characteristic of the region.
Carabobo is located in the north-central part of Venezuela, encompassing important territories both maritime and the interior of the mountains of the Cordillera de la Costa. This puts it in a perfect location, where a lot of east-west and coast / port traffic meets major cities.
Cachapa with hand cheese
Thanks to this, Carabobo is the industrial state par excellence of Venezuela and presents great economic and urban growth. Depending on the area of the state or the city, the style of food changes. In the center of the state and the city of Valencia is known for its cheeses. On the coast many dishes are served based on different fish.
In areas with a tradition of cocoa farming and close to Puerto Cabello, donkey milk and San Esteban punch are made, among others. In the mountainous regions, the corn is grown with which cachapas and other dishes are made.
It is quite typical for the Venezuelan to find on the road of the main highways that cross this state, shops, restaurants and street vendors on the road.
Historically, the cultural interaction of the three races (black, Indian and Spanish) during the colony was considerable; therefore, the mixture of more than 400 years of three types of cuisine can be seen in the ingredients, preparation and presentation.
Some typical dishes of Carabobeña gastronomy
As in most of Venezuela, throughout Carabobo the famous daily corn arepas are also cooked and very varied fillings are added such as shredded meat, different cheeses, tuna preparations, sausage or some type of salad based on chicken or hen..
You can also find the traditional fried empanadas, also with a wide variety of fillings. Also sweets in syrup and canned lemon and orange are common throughout the Carabobeño territory.
Snapper sancocho
This is a traditional meal from the coastal region of the Carabobo state. It is a soup that can be served as a main dish due to the large amount of heavy ingredients it contains.
First, the soup has many vegetables that are parboiled in the same water as the soup; among them I occupy, yam, celery, potato, carrot, yucca, among others. Along with the vegetables, chopped jojoto (whole young corn on the cob) is usually placed.
Parsley, garlic, chili, compound branches, onion, minced paprika and salt are added to add flavor to the broth.
Finally, once the vegetables are soft, add the fish cut into wheels including the head. When the snapper is cooked, lemon is added to the soup and it is ready to serve.
Tostones and beach plate
The coastal tostones are slices of fried green plantain. Before being thrown into the pan with oil, the slice is pounded and squashed to expose as much of the banana flesh between the cracks.
Generally a kitchen hammer is used with tips that give it that characteristic checkered texture. Salt and some spices can be added in this process. Once the tostón is fried, add cabbage and carrot salad, grated cheese, mayonnaise and tomato sauce on top.
The tostón preparation is called playero, and many tend to be served on a plate that completely covers it.
In some cases it can be ordered as a companion to the famous fried fish from the coast, which consists of a whole sea fish (closed or semi-open), breaded and completely fried. You can add lemon to taste for the fish.
Corn-based dishes
The corn cachapa consists of a mixture of ground sweet corn with which a crushed cake is made on a pan, similar to a pancake but yellow in color and with a rustic texture. This type of corn for cachapa is traditionally called “jojoto”.
Cachapa is a typical dish throughout Venezuela, but since there are many historical corn plantations in Carabobo, it is considered typical of the region. It is usually accompanied with hand cheese or telita, which are also traditionally prepared in the Carabobense region.
They also make corn tequeño in the Naguanagua region, which is a long and cylindrical dough cake with which white cheese is rolled. The dish is fried in a pan with a lot of oil so that it is cooked evenly.
In the Montalbán region, the polenta montalbanense is prepared, which is a dry baked cake made of soft corn dough with eggs, various stews of pork, chicken, beef or hen. In the mixture you can add some vegetables, olives, boiled eggs and raisins.
The funche is another type of corn-based cake that is prepared in a pot with boiling water, salt, peeled garlic and spices, to which the corn flour is added. This mixture is stirred with a paddle until it dries and is then mashed in a pan.
It serves as a side to main meals and sometimes substitutes for arepa or bread.
San Esteban region
This town is close to Puerto Cabello, and is famous for the preparation of donkey's milk and punch; made with brandy liqueur, highly beaten eggs and condensed milk.
Some special punch preparations have a mixture of cocoa that gives it a darker and bitter color, as well as fruits to sweeten it and give it a different color.
Naiboa is a crushed and toasted budare cake, based on crushed or ground yucca. This type of dish is called "casabe" and it is very famous throughout Venezuela.
Panelitas of San Joaquín
It is a type of sweet and hard cake or sponge cake that is made in the San Joaquín region, and whose exact recipe remains very jealous in this population.
People from all over the country know it because they are traditionally sold on the roads and highways that cross the state, and their flavor and versatility have made them a sweet very loved by Venezuelans.
They are prepared based on wheat flour, cornstarch, liquid anise, sugar and eggs. This type of cake is baked twice; first to cook the entire mixture on trays and then it is cut into its famous sliced shape so that they are browned on both sides.
References
- Travel & Tourism Venezuela. Gastronomy in Carabobo. Recovered from traveltourismvenezuela.wordpress.com
- Raul Hurtado (2012). The Kitchen Of Carabobo. Doral News. Recovered from doralnewsonline.com
- Yessica Mardelli (2017). Panelitas de San Joaquín, a very traditional sponge cake. EME for Women. Recovered from emedemujer.com
- Virtual Travel Guide. Gastronomy of the Carabobo State. Recovered from guiaviajesvirtual.com
- Typical meals. Typical foods of the Carabobo state (Venezuela). Recovered from meals-tipicas.com
- Tourism in Valencia. Typical dishes. Recovered from turismoenvln.wordpress.com