Arepas

Colombia and Venezuela — arepas predate European contact; indigenous communities ground nixtamalised corn into flat cakes; the masarepa flour standardisation is a 20th-century industrial development

Colombia's definitive everyday bread — flat, round cakes of precooked white corn flour (masarepa) mixed with water and salt, formed by hand, and cooked on a budare (flat iron griddle) or comal until a golden-brown crust forms while the interior remains soft and slightly doughy. Arepas are the Colombian and Venezuelan morning staple — plain arepas split and filled with butter, white salty cheese (queso costeño or cuajada), eggs, or shredded beef for arepa de chócolo. Regional variation is dramatic: Antioquian arepas are thin and crisp; coastal Colombian arepas are thicker with cheese incorporated into the dough; Venezuelan arepas are thicker still and split as pockets. The dough must be adequately hydrated — dry dough produces cracked arepas; too wet and they flatten in cooking.

Breakfast staple eaten plain with butter and cheese; as a sandwich vessel (bandeja paisa); as street food filled with shredded beef (pabellón) or chicken; Colombian hot chocolate or tinto (black coffee) alongside at breakfast