We made a breakfast dish from South America this week called arepas. These flat corn cakes originated during the Pre-Columbian era and continue to be popular in present-day Venezuela and Colombia. The dough is a simple mixture of pre-cooked corn meal, salt, and water. The students had a lot of fun forming the dough into balls and then flattening the arepas by hand. We were lucky to have a special guest on Tuesday and Thursday, Ms. Janette, who is Peruvian and taught us how to make a delicious drink called chicha morada from purple corn, limes, sugar, and a few spices.
As accompaniments to the arepas, students made their own butter, sautéd sweet potatoes, and crumbled fresh cheese. We slathered the cakes with the butter and ate them with beans, the sweet potatoes, the cheese, and pickled onions. The savory arepas paired so nicely with the sweet and slightly spicy chica. We’ll be serving more chica made by Janette at our spring event, so get your tickets now!
