The cornmeal in the Kitchen

Today we finished the series of articles about the flour. A journey through the history, customs, cultures, countries, etc.., Whose main food of different types of flour. The arepas, pupusas, tamales, hallaquitas, the hallaca, hallaca buns, muffins, and corn tortillas are certainly emblematic of Latin American culinary culture. From Mexico to Patagonia find these delicious dishes based on corn flour.

The arepa corn flour is bread for excellence in Venezuela, Colombia, Panama - call it tortilla as in El Salvador - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and even in the Canary Islands. Preparedness is a disc-shaped, typical also of other foods made with corn, as the cachapa Venezuelan or Mexican tortilla, born as a way to worship the sun and moon. The same applies to the utensil round in which they cook these foods: the griddle, also called aripo or in Mexico, comal. The versatility of the arepa allows can accompany almost any food or become the main course when it has a delicious filling. Of her many versions as there are regions, which account each of these countries named above. They also vary according to the technique of preparation or maize, although the majority use appeals to the convenience of precooked meals, an invention such as the Venezuelan arepa itself. The pupusas originating in El Salvador are very similar to the arepas, the big difference is that with the stuffing is cooked inside and completely sealed.

Another is the preparation of tamales, a dish that has been pre-Hispanic tradition in Mexico, Cuba and Central America but is consumed throughout the continent. The word tamale in its etymology is defined as "involved" in Nahuatl (tamalli). Countries, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Venezuela, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Bolivia are among the preparations with different naming names as hallacas, humitas or tamales. The tamales are cooked, boiled, usually wrapped in corn husks or banana, which also lent its form, also gives it a distinctive flavor. In Venezuela we call hallaquitas tamales - wrapped in corn husk -; in some regions are filled hallaquitas stews of beef or chicken. To us go mad hallaquitas of cracklings that are very popular in Venezuela. They are made by kneading flour with corn sauce, minced sweet pepper and of course the greaves. Hallacas - wrapped in banana leaves - are filled with a stew of pork and beef and has several ornaments inside. It is the main course of the Venezuelan Christmas dinner. In Peru they eat tamales and green to say the delicious Mexican tamales with different fillings and the piquancy that characterizes them.

Hallaca buns are prepared by incorporating into the dough and trim the leftover stew of hallacas, wrapped in banana leaves. Then there are hairless buns filled with meat. There are also muffins are made daily in the form of rolls of about 8 to 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide that are baked, boiled directly in water without any coverage and who regularly consumed as companions of the food.

Finally we can not leave out the corn tortillas or tlaxcallim. It was the main meal of the ancient Aztec. Corn tortillas are known for several thousand years. The flour tortilla was created when the Spanish brought it to the New World. Tortillas are a good alternative to bread, are served with everything from sour cream to caviar. They can wrap foods, use them as scoops to eat, serve it with salads, soups and eating toast.

Living in Miami is a real privilege, the Latino community is well represented and well mixed. Like you can have breakfast with good Venezuelan arepas in Doral, lunch with Argentine empanadas 8th Street and dinner at Sunset Salvadoran pupusas. Speaking of dishes based on corn flour, the recipe of the week are hairless buns, a traditional and very popular development in Venezuela. See you soon friends.