The sweet and salty Caracas

Venezuelan gastronomy today has a presence in countless countries. Not only in the great cities of the world, but also in small towns and villages, is now common that you will find a Venezuelan immigrant, and it is very common as well that that Venezuelan immigrant has presented his favorite traditional dishes to at least one native of that country. And that is my case, I've been living in Italy for some years now and aside taking the time to discover and enjoy its succulent gastronomy, I have also enjoyed cooking and presenting the Venezuelan cuisine to my Italian friends, but more specifically with pride, the cuisine of my city, my always beloved Caracas.

Today, I want to tell you a little bit more about that special cuisine, one not so well known worldwide, the sweet and salty cuisine of Caracas. If you have never visited the Venezuelan capital, or have not had the opportunity to try a dish of our gastronomy, here are some things you should know about los sabores caraqueños (flavors from Caracas):

1. ITS ORIGINS ARE MESTIZOS

In general Venezuelan cuisine and especially the one from Caracas, is the meeting point of three cultures, the one from the aborigines, who inhabited our territory since pre-Hispanic times, the Spanish culture of the conquerors, and the African culture represented by the slaves brought by the colonizers to work the lands. Therefore, the first characteristic that stands out is that our cuisine is the product of the merging of three very different worlds, which guarantees richness and variety of flavors from the start.

Gastronomic investigations affirm, that during colonial times, the Caracas valley was rich in fruits such as soursop, papaya and guava. The local diet was then based on fruits, but also on corn and cassava, supplemented with animal protein from hunting.

Few recipes were documented from that period, but some stand out, the world-renowned arepa (corn flour bread), la chicha (thick drink made from rice and milk) and casabe (thin and crunchy bread made from cassava flour)

For their part, the colonizers brought on their ships European products such as olive oil, wheat flour, olives, raisins, and cold cuts. Caracas became a great center for imports, which arrived at La Guaira port, to later be distributed throughout the city. Smugglers and pirates allowed the arrival of more flavors and products, such as Dutch cheese, called by the caraqueños, ball cheese because of its circular shape.

Slave Africans also played a key role in creating our gastronomic identity. They were, most of the time, in charge of preparing food on the haciendas. And it is believed that the adaptations they made of their own traditional dishes, little by little, were penetrating the table of Caracas families. From them we adopt ingredients such as papelón (unrefined cane sugar), plantain, banana and coconut. It is then, that during the 17th and 18th centuries the mixture between Venezuelan ingredients and the dishes brought by foreigners was already notorious.

2. THE RECEIVER CITY

From the 19th century on, Venezuela began to receive migratory waves from Europe. Due to the war and the poverty that came with it, so many started looking across the pond for a promising future in the tropical country. English, French, Spanish and Italians brought their products and dishes. The butter, the liqueurs, the oils and the jams arrived. The use of these ingredients began to be noticed in local preparations and cheeses and pasta began to make a strong presence on dinner tables.

 3. OIL AS A MODERNIZER SAINT

From the 60's, the Venezuelan oil boom gave way to the modernity of the city, and with it, of course, its gastronomy. The economy was growing and everything had to be done. The people of Caracas traveled for pleasure, and they also received many tourists, enthusiastic to discover the modern tropical city. Popular markets, and French, Italian or Spanish restaurants appeared throughout the city. Later, supermarkets and large American chains would also arrive.

 The multicultural influence was becoming more and more present and the locals sought to incorporate these new flavors into their homemade preparations. It is not surprising then, that we find, for example, in Armando Scannone's famous Caracas cookbook, Mi Cocina, recipes such as the very French Onion Soup, the traditional Empanada Gallega or the Roman Pasta alla Carbonara.

We not only had constant European immigration, but also Latin American. Venezuela enjoyed an apparently consolidated democracy and a booming economy, while the rest of the continent suffered the cruelest tyrannies. By the 1980s, Caracas was already a gastronomic melting pot.

4. NO SOFRITO, NO GUISO

The sofrito (mix of fried vegetables) is the base of Caracas and Venezuelan cuisine in general. In the pantries of Caracas houses you will always find garlic, onion, sweet pepper and tomato, they are the base of our sofritos and therefore of all our stews.

5. THE UMAMI CARAQUEÑO

One of the most outstanding characteristics of the cuisine of Caracas is that combination, perhaps for a foreigner, could seem strange, of the sweet, the salty and the sour. For me it is like the fifth taste, umami, it is difficult to explain in words, you have to try it, but once you taste a Caracas dish you can identify it, not only in that preparation but also in a variety of dishes. This seasoning is given thanks to our stews, which are based on the sofrito but to which we later add papelón, pickles, raisins or wine, depending on the dish, and which give rise to dishes such as polvorosa de pollo (sweet chicken pie) or asado negro (slow cook meet).

Caracas umami is not only present in our dishes, but also in our desserts. The torta de queso criolla (creole cheese cake) for example is a “salty” sweet.

6. HAUTE CUISINE

Apart from arepas or some street food dishes, until a few years ago, it was very rare for the local citizen to go out to eat traditional food. Few were the restaurants that ventured to see traditional cuisine as a valid option for their haute cuisine menus. With great joy, I can say that thus has changed, and for the better. Nowadays, great Venezuelan chefs include Caracas flavors as the protagonists of their gastronomic proposal, which has further enriched our cuisine, and has made people from Caracas, regain pride in their gastronomy.

7. MY FAVORITES

I can't resist the charms of the previous named polvorosa de pollo, the majestic asado negro, the queens of the pabellón criollo the caraotas (black beans) with white grated cheese and the perfect Torta de Queso Criolla.

Curious? Venture to prepare a typical Venezuelan dish, take a look below at the video of my recipe for caraotas (black beans) made the Caracas way.