AlwaysInvestigating: Arepas, Three Ways

The Gluttoness — August 19, 2009

The arepas of the New York City street fair: MozzArepas. $4/each.

When ordering Arepas around the city you may have noticed varied renditions of these scrumptious corn cakes. That’s because arepas differ in appearance and preparation depending on cuisine. At their most basic, arepas are unleavened cornmeal patties of varying thickness, either grilled, baked or fried. Below is a primer on three schools of arepas you can readily find in New York City.

The MozzArepa (above) is probably the arepa with which New Yorkers are most familiar— it’s the greasy, addictive arepa of the city street fair. MozzArepas are said to have largely been introduced to the city by Luis H. Leon, who originally hailed from Colombia. MozzArepas consist of two grilled, sweet cornbread patties with mozzarella cheese sandwiched within.

 

Caracas Arepa Bar’s “La Sureña,” Grilled Chicken & Chorizo, Avocado & Chimi-Churri, $7.25.

‘Arepa,’ may originate from a word for ‘maize’ in the native language of Venezuala’s northern coast. Regional renditions differ in thickness from ¼ to ¾ inch, but generally, these corn pancakes are split open like a sandwich and filled with ingredients as diverse as shark and coconut. They’re commonly sold at restaurants called areperas or areperias. Caracas Arepa Bar (restaurant page) has two branches, one in the East Village, another in Williamsburg. Their thin, pita-like arepas are filled with ingredients like Plantains, Pernil Pork and Chicken.

 

Sazón’s Coconut Arepas with Crab Meat Escabeche, $12/3 arepas.

Another rendition is the Puerto Rican arepa, which can be found at Sazón (restaurant page. In this case, the dough is made with flour instead of corn. The small rounds are fried, flavored with coconut, and then stuffed or topped with seafood. Sazón’s thin and crispy coconut arepas make a delicate base for the lime-marinated crab salad that tops them.