AREPA BOYACENSE (COLOMBIAN STUFFED CHEESE CORN PASTRY)

AREPA BOYACENSE (STUFFED CHEESE CORN PASTRY)

Mixed corn and wheat flour pastry full filled with cheese, with a crunchy crust and soft and slightly moist crumb.

Traditionally arepa boyacense is cooked in the rural areas directly over the charcoal, wrapped in bijao leaf or over a thin grill stone. The modern and popular option for the city is a turning oven that looks like a shawarma's oven, there piled arepas turn while is cooking.

The current recipe is adapted version of the traditional arepa boyacense recipe.The original recipe call for nixtamalized capio corn (a Colombian corn variety) and we have used simple pre-cooked yellow corn flour.

¿Colombian arepa or Venezuelan arepa?

Colombians and Venezuelans defend the arepa as their own with enough evidence. The arepa is a shared heritage inherited by the indigenous ancestors who lived in both countries, then generations later the territory was divided into what is now Colombia and Venezuela.

The arepa comes from the castellinización of the word "erepa" of the indigenous language cumanagoto that inhabits a part of the present Venezuela call Cumaná today, which would suggest that the origin of the preparation could be there, but Galeotto Cei in its "Trip and description of The Indians (1539-1553) said that other Indians called arepa fectegua this word is possibly related to the Chibcha language of the Indians who inhabited what today is Colombian territory.

Whatever the origin of ,arepa is so Venezuelan, Panamanian, Ecuadorian and Colombian because they are typical in their cuisines, well known, consumed and loved by everyone their people. Another point to recognize has been a Venezuelan who created the formula of precooked corn flour what is enough proves that the modern arepa is thanks to this magnificent invention, I greet all Venezuelan brothers. In Colombia, it is still popular to prepare the arepas in a traditional way as have made the Indians cooking and processing the corn.

The actual Salvadorean pupusas were first created centuries ago by the Pipil tribes and or Mexican gorditas are prehispanic food both are very similar to arepas prepared in Colombia and Venezuela popularly name "maiz pelao" ( nixtamalized corn).

A part Sothamerican Indians descended from center American indigenous civilization origin what gives me to think that these preparations can Be the ancestors or originators of the arepa.

INGREDIENTES

-150 gr precooked yellow corn flour

-20 gr wheat flour 0000

-1 egg

-100 panela

-150 gr  tuma cheese

-70 gr  ricotta cheese

-20 gr butter

-50 gr water

-salt to taste

FILLING

-100 gr tuma cheese

-salt to taste

INSTRUCCIONES:

1.Make together flours

2.Add grated panela, grated cheese, egg, butter, and salt to taste and knead  all the ingredients together into a homogenous mixture.

3.Leave stand for 10 minutos.

4.After have leave stay the dough add water bit by bit until getting a smooth dough.To check if the dough needs more liquid roll a  bite into a ball and press if the ball cracks add water until it doesn't it.

5.Shape arepas and stuff with cheese.

6. Sear a  stir fry pan arepa  for both side until golden, if you can get bijao or plantain leaf put it on the pan while you cook arepas. 

7.Bake seared arepas a  preheated oven at 180 C for 10 or 15 minutes until arepas crush is crispy.

If would like give the traditional smoked flavor to arepas use a burning coal pleased into a  pot, put a metal grid over and put on arepas when it is cold down, cover the pot for 15 mins.