The arepa is a corn-based dish from the northern Andes in South America, now spread to other areas in modern Latin American countries. Colombian and Venezuelan migration to the U.S.A. and elsewhere has made arepas available almost worldwide. It is basically a flat (the flatness varies) cake of cornmeal which is then grilled, baked or fried. It is often split in half and filled with cheese, deli meats, and a great variety of fillings, in which case it is know as arepa rellena. This more elaborate version may be eaten closed like a sandwich, or dressed with toppings and eaten open-faced. This (arepa rellena) is the most frequent form it adopts in Venezuela, whereas in Colombia it is still eaten unadorned (or just with butter or cheese spread on top, occasionally as a filling), mainly as the regional form of bread. On the Caribbean coast of South America, the cornmeal cake is often deep-fried and, in one variation, where a raw egg is added midway through the frying process, it becomes the arepa’e huevo. This latter variation was most likely devised by the African slaves near Cartagena de Indias.
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