The typical food of Mérida (Venezuela) stands out for recipes such as Andean pisca, arepas, Merida pastries, polished sweets, pineapple guarapo or blackberry wine. The gastronomy of Merida has a marked European influence, especially Spanish and Italian, which dates back to colonial times.
This influence was received from the first conquerors who arrived in Merida from Spain and, centuries later, with the waves of Colombian and Italian immigrants who settled in this Andean state.
Andean Pisca
The typical food of Mérida stands out within the Venezuelan cuisine for the type of ingredients it uses and the way in which its delicious dishes are prepared based on beef, pork, chicken, sheep, rabbit and trout, which include soups and broths., arepas, cakes, bread and cheese (smoked), as well as a variety of sweets and drinks.
Main dishes of the Merida table
Andean Pisca
This emblematic broth prepared with chicken consommé is made with finely chopped coriander, garlic, chives and onion, to which small pieces of potato and cheese, eggs and milk are added and it is served according to the taste of each family.
Generally, it is taken for breakfast accompanied by corn or wheat arepas and a cup of coffee.
arepas
It is a filling covered with two thin layers of rolled dough. They are made with self-rising wheat flour, whose dough must be soft and firm so that when fried it reaches that unique crunchy texture.
The Merida pastries are filled with trout, chicken, meat with rice, cheese and also cheese with a guava sandwich.
They are served with Masato or Chicha in restaurants and cafes or in street stalls.
Candy store
Among the most representative dishes of Merida cuisine are a variety of typical sweets. The famous polished sweets stand out, which are made from milk covered with sugar and decorated with striking colors.
These sweets are made in each Merida home as part of their culinary tradition and also commercially, as they are sold as souvenirs to tourists visiting Mérida.
Strawberries with cream is also a very representative dessert of Mérida. It consists of chopped strawberries, bathed in whipped cream with sugar, to which condensed milk is sometimes added. Other typical sweets are stuffed figs and alfondoque.
Drinks
Among the most representative are: Andean corn and rice Chicha (Masato), mead, pineapple guarapo, blackberry wine, caspiroleta and mistela, among others.
Bread
Among the most typical breads are; the almojábana –a bread roll brought from Andalusia made with starch, eggs and cheese- and the Andean acema, a round bread made from corn flour, star anise and wheat bran.
References
- Cartay, Rafael. Approaches to the history of Andean gastronomy. Economics, XXI, 11 (1996), pp. 35-43. IIES ULA.
- Cartay, Rafael (1988). The Table of the Plateau. Gastronomic History of Mérida. Venezuelan Editorial. Merida
- Gastronomy of Venezuela. Taken from es.wikipedia.org
- Andean Almojábanas. Taken from venezuelatuya.com
- Typical dishes. Taken from siry-paseando.blogspot.com.