Sweet & salty, crunchy & soft
A Colombian inspired breakfast
At Fusillo we’re always exploring new ingredients and cuisines, we love to learn from other cultures and their traditions. This time we made a Colombian inspired breakfast at the Lab in collaboration with Antonia, our co-worker from Hito Estudio.
Of course we made arepas, one of the basic and most eaten foods in Colombia and Venezuela. There are quite a few types of arepas; what mainly differentiates them is the kneading process, type of corn, shape and cooking method.
Corn was first domesticated by native people in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Native Americans taught European colonists to grow the indigenous grains. Since its introduction to Europe by Christopher Columbus and other explorers and colonisers, corn has spread to all areas of the world suitable to its cultivation. There is a corn crop maturing somewhere in the world nearly every month of the year.
On this occasion we went for the cherished arepa de chocólo, choclo is the Quechua word for “tender corn” also known as the new corn of the season. This Andean large kernel corn is sweeter and starchier than regular corn.
These arepas de chocólo are delectable; sweet and savoury, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. They are usually eaten with butter and fresh-salty cheese to add contrast to the dish. Colombians mainly eat it for breakfast with a cup of medium-bodied, rich coffee.
