Passionate fans of homemade corn tortillas, papusas and gorditas know that arepas are Latin America’s reigning family of corn-based flatbreads. A staple in Venezuela and Colombia, arepas fill the everyday cook's most important need: foods that are easy to make, easy to use and never boring. Early recipes required only cornmeal and water. Most cooks now season with a bit of salt, while some lean toward richer versions with milk, lard or butter in the dough. In Venezuela, arepas tend to be split and filled like sandwiches, while the thinner, leaner versions typical of Colombia are often topped with minimalist fillings for breakfast. VeRSATiliTy iS Key Both make perfect handfuls of delicious snack treats when filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, black beans, shredded or sliced meats, avocado, chorizo, spicy Cole slaw or whatever leftovers you want to finish off. Arepas can be dipped into soups or stews; or even served with a spot of tea or coffee. They can be split in two, toasted with butter and then spread liberally with jam for a treat as satisfying, yet not as proper as, well-made scones or biscuits. Unlike many other flatbreads from Mexico, generally made from nixtamalized maize (an ancient, lime-based technology used to loosen the hard hull of corn kernels), arepas depend on untreated corn that has been precooked then ground finely. As the various Hispanic populations continue to grow; and US consumers are exposed more and more to various Latin American cuisines, make sure you are offering your consumers what they are looking for. Of course, your Mexican consumers (as well as many Americans) will continue to look for masa-based corn tortillas, but your South American consumers will surely be looking for arepas. And with the growth of South Americanstyled steak houses like Fogo de Chão, US consumers are being exposed to interesting dishes like arepas. Make sure you are staying on trend with key items your consumers will surely begin looking for on your store shelves – well, in this case they can be found in the frozen aisle or are available through the KeHE Fresh Bakery program. If you are here at our Summer Selling & Product Innovation Show, then be sure to stop in to the Fresh Products Pavilion to sample arepas first-hand. The arepa is a flaT, unleavened paTTy made of cornmeal which can be grilled, baked, or fried. The characTerisTics of The arepa vary from region To region: iT may vary by color, flavor, size, Thickness, garniTure, and also The food iT may be sTuffed wiTh. arepa is naTive souTh american bread made of ground corn, waTer, and salT which is fried inTo pancake-like bread. iT is eiTher Topped or filled wiTh meaT, eggs, TomaToes, salad, cheese, shrimp, or fish. AREPAS – WHAT ARE THEY AND WHO EATS THEM When Christopher Columbus arrived in San Salvador (now Bahamas) in 1492, he was offered maize “arepas “by the natives. Other Spaniard chroniclers relate that the “aborigines made cakes as thick as a finger called arepas.” The arepa was a staple for several Amerindian tribes like the Timoto-cuicas, Arawaks and Caribs. With the Spanish conquest and colonization, the arepa spread to the Gran Colombia region – Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. Today, it is a food found in most Latin American countries, especially Colombia and Venezuela. In Colombia. Arepas are usually eaten for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Common toppings include butter, cheese, and hogao. In the western part of the country, especially around Bogotá, Cali and Medellín, a traditional breakfast includes an arepa with the traditional Colombian hot chocolate. May-July 2014 OnTREnD 37