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= The Region of Venezuela and Its Food by Everett R., La Rocca S., and Lingo J. =

Venezuela is a country located in northwest South America. Venezuela is commonly associated with the world's largest uninterrupted waterfall with a drop 979 meters. This page, however, is primarily concerned with the food of the country.

Geography
Venezuela has a total area of 916,445 square kilometers which makes it the 33rd largest country in the world. It lies between latitudes 0° and 13°N, and longitudes 59° and 74°W. The country has a 2,800 km coastline, Venezuela has four fairly well-defined topographical regions: the Maracaibo lowlands in the northwest, the northern mountains extending in a broad east-west arc from the Colombian border along the northern Caribbean coast, the wide plains in central Venezuela, and the Guiana Highlands in the southeast.

Climate
Venezuela is located entirely in the tropics. It has an average yearly temperature of 46°F and the high temperature can reach upwards of 95°F. The annual rainfall varies between 16.9 inches and 39.4 inches depending on the region. There are Hot-Humid and Dry-Cold seasons between the months of November to April and August to October respectively.

The country falls into four horizontal temperature zones based primarily on elevation, having Tropical, Dry, Temperate with Dry Winters, and Polar (Alpine tundra) climates, amongst others. In the tropical zone—below 800 meters or 2,625 feet—temperatures are hot, with yearly averages ranging between 26 and 28 °C (78.8 and 82.4 °F). The temperate zone ranges between 800 and 2,000 meters (2,625 and 6,562 ft) with averages from 12 to 25 °C (53.6 to 77 °F); many of Venezuela's cities, including the capital, lie in this region. Colder conditions with temperatures from 9 to 11 °C (48.2 to 51.8 °F) are found in the cool zone between 2,000 and 3,000 meters (6,562 and 9,843 ft), especially in the Venezuelan Andes, where Pastureland and permanent snowfield with yearly averages below 8 °C (46 °F) cover land above 3,000 meters (9,843 ft) in the páramos.

Demographics
Predominant Religion: Catholic

Government: Federal Presidential Constitutional Republic

Major Ideology: Socialism

Ethnic Breakdown:

- 50% Mestizo/Multi-racial

- 42% White

- 3% Black/Afro Descent

- 3% Indian

- 2% Other

All these people need food to live and prosper, and they all bring their own types of food to the potluck party.

Arepas
Arepas are a type of cornmeal sandwich that are quick to make, healthy and can be eaten at any time of the day: breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack! The secret to cooking arepas is Harina P.A.N., the first and most popular brand of pre-cooked maize flour. The great thing about Harina P.A.N. in our health-conscious world is that maize flour is easily digested, contains no additives or bleaching agents and is 100 per cent gluten-free.

To make enough dough for six arepas you will need:

Ingredients
 * 2 cups of Harina P.A.N. flour
 * 2 cups of water
 * A pinch of salt

Preparation


 * 1) Place two cups of flour in a mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix through with clean dry hands.
 * 2) Measure two cups of warm water and pour onto flour.
 * 3) Knead together the flour and water with your hands until the mixture is thoroughly blended and there are no grainy lumps.
 * 4) If the is too soggy and sticks to your fingers add more flour. If it is too dry add water. The perfect dough should roll easily into a large ball without cracking.
 * 5) Break off a fistful of the dough and roll it into a ball in your hands. Then pat it and turn it in your hands until its about half an inch thick and about 3-4 inches across.
 * 6) Make the rest of the arepas you want to cook. If any dough is left over wrap it in plastic - to keep in the moisture - and place in fridge. It will keep for three to four days.
 * 7) Heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan or griddle and when hot add the arepas, as many as will comfortably fit in the pan.
 * 8) The idea is to give the arepas a crunchy exterior, so don't turn the heat up too high. When the arepas are brown on one side turn them over. The whole process should not take longer than 10 minutes.
 * 9) Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
 * 10) When arepas have been browned, reduce oven to 200 degrees, place arepas on a baking tray at the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes. When ready they should sound hollow when tapped with a knife.
 * 11) Serve with butter and grated cheese, scrambled eggs, black beans, ham, hot sauce and anything else you want to fill them with. The trick is to make an incision in the arepa - slicing through the middle but not going all the way - and then open it up like a pocket for the filling.
 * 1) Heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan or griddle and when hot add the arepas, as many as will comfortably fit in the pan.
 * 2) The idea is to give the arepas a crunchy exterior, so don't turn the heat up too high. When the arepas are brown on one side turn them over. The whole process should not take longer than 10 minutes.
 * 3) Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
 * 4) When arepas have been browned, reduce oven to 200 degrees, place arepas on a baking tray at the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes. When ready they should sound hollow when tapped with a knife.
 * 5) Serve with butter and grated cheese, scrambled eggs, black beans, ham, hot sauce and anything else you want to fill them with. The trick is to make an incision in the arepa - slicing through the middle but not going all the way - and then open it up like a pocket for the filling.
 * 1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
 * 2) When arepas have been browned, reduce oven to 200 degrees, place arepas on a baking tray at the top of the oven for 15-20 minutes. When ready they should sound hollow when tapped with a knife.
 * 3) Serve with butter and grated cheese, scrambled eggs, black beans, ham, hot sauce and anything else you want to fill them with. The trick is to make an incision in the arepa - slicing through the middle but not going all the way - and then open it up like a pocket for the filling.
 * 1) Serve with butter and grated cheese, scrambled eggs, black beans, ham, hot sauce and anything else you want to fill them with. The trick is to make an incision in the arepa - slicing through the middle but not going all the way - and then open it up like a pocket for the filling.
 * 1) Serve with butter and grated cheese, scrambled eggs, black beans, ham, hot sauce and anything else you want to fill them with. The trick is to make an incision in the arepa - slicing through the middle but not going all the way - and then open it up like a pocket for the filling.

Hallacas
Eaten during the Christmas season. In Venezuelan cousine, an hallaca involves a mixture of beef, pork, chicken, raisins, chickpeas, and olives wrapped in cornmeal dough, folded within plaintain leaves, tied with strings and boiled or steamed afterwards.

'''Yield: About 50 Hallacas Ingredients for the stew:'''


 * 2-3 lb of finely chopped stew beef
 * 1-1½ lbs of finely chopped pork meat
 * 1 small jar of capers
 * 32 oz jar gardener’s pickled vegetables
 * 1 cup of raisins
 * 1 cup of green olives
 * 2 leeks, washed and dried
 * 2 bunch of green onions
 * 1 head of garlic, peeled
 * 1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
 * Bunch of parsley
 * Bunch of cilantro
 * 2 big onions
 * 2-3 chopped tomatoes
 * 2-3 cups of chicken broth
 * Hot peppers or ají (chile) to taste
 * Salt, seasoning cubes or chicken broth cubes to taste
 * Black pepper
 * Sugar
 * Sweet red wine
 * Olive oil

Directions:

Chop the meats into very small bits, mixing in a portion of 2 parts beef, one part pork, and seasoned to taste. Cut all other ingredients, either in a food processor or by hand, combining all ingredients on the list from 3 to 12 and half of the onions. In a big, deep frying pan, heat olive oil to sear onions, tomatoes and ají until half cooked then start adding the meat and vegetable mixture in alternating lumps. Use the wine and broth to keep the mixture wet and saucy. Add salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle a bit of sugar too. Once the meat is cooked, turn off heat and let it cool. When possible, I like to mix the raw meat mixture with half the condiment mix, wine and seasoning, and keep it in the refrigerator overnight to be cooked as above the following day before assembly. The assembly process can last 6 hours or longer, depending on the experience and amount of helpers. Ingredients for the dough and assembly:

Assembly of the hallacas:
 * 2 packages of pre-cooked corn flower used for arepas brand name PAN
 * 8-10 cups of chicken broth
 * 1-2 cups of vegetable cooking oil
 * 1 cup of annatto seeds
 * Salt
 * Thinly sliced red or green peppers (about 2 cups)
 * Sliced onions (about 2 cups)
 * 32 oz jar of olives – without pits
 * Raisins
 * Parsley leaves cut in small branches
 * White peeled almonds
 * 1-2 cans of cooked chickpeas (garbanzos)
 * Cooked chicken shredded into small size pieces – from cooking the broth
 * Plantain leaves, rinsed and dried with a cloth.
 * Twine to tie the plantain leaves wrapping the dough

Once you're ready to proceed, there are 4 big steps to follow: cook the stew, make the dough, clean the leaves and assemble the hallacas. Once the stew is cooked, start on the dough. Heat the vegetable cooking oil with onoto (annatto/achiote) seeds until the oil turns deep orange/red from the annatto. Add 2/3 of that oil to half the chicken broth, and about 2 cups of water and 1 package of corn flour. Add salt to taste and keep adding more flour, broth, water and oil until achieving a soft consistency that can be molded easily. Separate the dough in fist-size balls and keep them covered with a damp cloth. Even if you have access to fresh plantains leaves, it is much better using frozen ones. These are usually available at the frozen food section of most supermarkets. Defrost them outside the refrigerator, rinsing them with a clean, damp cloth. Separate the covers by size since you will need to wrap them at least in two layers. Keep them moist by covering them with a damp cloth. In different containers, place ingredients 6-15 from the assembly list. Arrange people helping with the hallacas to work in stations around these ingredients. In a clean plantain leaf, drop some annatto oil and spread the dough very thin, add a big spoonful of stew and a bit of each decorative ingredient from list 6-15; fold the dough with the help of the leaf. Close the hallaca; cover it with another leaf and tie it with several lines of string, finishing with a knot. Once all hallacas are tied, bring them to boil in a big pan with water and salt for about 1 hour. Repeat as needed until all the dough and stew is used. Depending of the size of the leaves, dough and generosity of the assembly line workers, the result would be about 4 to 5 dozen hallacas.

Non-Native Foods
Due to its location in the world, its diversity of industrial resources and the cultural diversity of the Venezuelan people, Venezuelan cuisine often varies greatly from one region to another.

Its cuisine, traditional as well as modern, is influenced by indigenous peoples and its European ancestry (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French), and is also influenced by African and Native American traditions.

Food staples include corn, rice, plantain, yams, beans and several meats.

In the eastern states (Oriente), south-eastern states (Guayana), and northern states (Caribe): a wide gamut of fresh and saltwater fish, seafood and crustaceans; tubers such as potato and yam; cereals such as corn, rice and pasta; beef; fresh vegetables and fruit (lettuce, tomatoes, plantains).

Western states (occidente): common meats include goat (usually prepared with tomato) and rabbit; extensive use of plantain and a variety of cheeses. Dishes are influenced by the local tribes as well as by Colombian cuisine.

Andean region: potatoes and other tubers, wheat; beef, lamb and chicken; not much fish as the region doesn't have a coastal line, with the exception being trout, which is raised on fish farms. Dishes show European and native Andean peoples' influences.

Food Security
The government of Venezuela plays a large role in the protection and stimulation of Venezuelan agriculture. Much literature is committed to discussing the programs and ideas the government has come up with to change or boost agricultural production. Subsidies were introduced to the Constitution in 1999, and the government has tried “limiting the number of competing crops that can be imported into the country.”

Chavez’s plans
When Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999, he began a land redistribution program that divided up the farms of wealthy families, and gave them to the masses. This has led to mixed reactions from a number of people, with varied reports. According to the Land and Agricultural Minister, Juan Carlos Loyo, during a report to the National Assembly in 2011, “since President Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999, agricultural production has surged by 44 percent in the country, reaching a total of 24.6 million tons of food a year. Milk production has seen an increase of 68 percent while staples such as black beans and corn have seen their production doubled.” He also talked about a recent program the country developed called ‘Plan Coffee,’ in that “1,186 homes for coffee producers have been built and 7,375 kilometers of agricultural roads have been upgraded." So not only have the government programs led to higher output, but also a change to Venezuela’s infrastructure.

However, not everyone agrees with these plans, or even the reported numbers. A report by NPR news in the summer of 2009 interviews local farmers who either had to give up their land or have now inherited their own pieces of earth. A new farmer, Ramon Barrera, states that there is “no irrigation, no technical help from the government and no credit. How are people supposed to work?" Vicente Lecuna, whose family has owned a sugarcane farm since 1890, has lost some of his land to the government, which is now planting corn there – something the ground is not good for. An agricultural expert, Carlos Machado, says “once-productive spreads … are now unproductive. And the result is that Venezuela is six times more dependent on foreign food imports than before Chavez took power.”

Needless to say, it is tough to discern what is really the result of these socialist agricultural programs. There are supporters and opponents of the plans, as well as supporters and opponents of socialism. Thus, reports are varied and information should be taken with a grain of salt.

Fact of the matter is, for better or worse, the Venezuelan government commands a large segment of agricultural production, and is seeking ways to increase output while protecting its people.