Venezuela

Ask what Venezuela eats and the answer starts with this: corn-based comfort: stuffed arepas, Christmas hallacas, plantains and black beans, sweetened by papelón and condensed-milk desserts. Look for Arepa (griddled corn cakes split and stuffed; reina pepiada holds chicken-avocado), Pabellón criollo (shredded beef, black beans, rice and fried plantains; national plate) and Hallaca (christmas corn-dough parcels of beef, pork, olives, raisins in banana leaves). Pre-Hispanic maize bread; the launch of Harina P.A.N. precooked maize flour in 1960 ended the daily pounding of corn in Venezuelan kitchens. This atlas has 38 Venezuela dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.