Greetings, friends. Here again with another topic related to Venezuelan gastronomy. In which today the Creole pavilion will be the protagonist. My country is a place with a wide variety of typical foods, which are prepared in different regions or states of the same. However, the pabellón criollo or Venezuelan pavilion is one of the most representative dishes of our cuisine. Full of colors and varied flavors, possibly evokes the union of the ethnic groups that make up our town, carries the unique and warm aroma of this land.
The pavilion is a dish that has accompanied us throughout our history, it has grown with us, with small variations in the different regions of Venezuela, but always maintaining the unique and pure essence of the national dish par excellence, it is representative of the diet Creole urban mainly, it is difficult to specify the origin of the dish, but already at the end of the XIX century was recognized in Caracas.
It is made up of white rice, mechada meat, black beans and fried plantain slices, all arranged in an ornamental way, highlighting to the maximum their color, aroma and flavor. In this dish, a balance is created between all its components, both in color and in taste, each one is an important part of the Venezuelan culinary.
Desde la colonización, el arroz, así como las caraotas, han sido parte de la comida diaria del venezolano. Las caraotas se servían como acompañante de desayunos, almuerzos y cenas, al igual que la arepa acompañaba mañana, tarde y noche nuestras comidas, hoy apenas es parte eventual de desayunos y cenas, sin por eso dejar de ser importante en nuestra cultura culinaria.
The rice was also served daily, prepared slightly flavored with sweet pepper, garlic and onion, loose and white, very white, in the same way served in the pavilion.
The Caraotas must be very black, there are those who impregnate them with spices such as sweet peppers, cumin and a sauce of garlic, onion, sweet pepper, salt to taste .... for their preparation they are left to cook in boiling water, which can be accompanied with smoked pork or pork patties sliced, (this only to give flavor, they do not appear on the plate) until they become soft and tender, then season and let the broth take a thick consistency. The beans can be eaten with broth for a greater flavor, or if you prefer fries, you can drain and fry in lard or very hot oil. Also if you prefer you can eat with a sweetness point, provided by scraped paper, or sugar.
On the other hand the meat mechada, (meat of skirt of res), is boiled with onions and salt until it reaches a point of softening where it is left to mecha easily. Then he wicks by hand, into thin pieces. Later in very hot oil, preferably colored with "onoto", in which they have sautéed crushed garlic, onions, chopped sweet red pepper, sauté the meat and add chopped tomato without skin or seeds, salt and pepper to taste, it is important to cook simmer until lightly juicy. The meat turns reddish and aromatic.
Finally cut the banana and fry it. The components are distributed on the plate in a decorative way and around the slices are placed.
The display of colors will undoubtedly be striking, the white of the rice, the black of the caraotas, the reddish flesh and the golden yellow bananas, sometimes making of rails, other times an integral part of the dish, the set will be as impressive as a sunset in the Médanos Coro in Falcón, like a sunrise in the majestic mountains of the Andes or as a simple sight to the impressive tepuyes of our fantastic amazons ... the flavor will be unparalleled, the warmth of our land is felt through our kitchen , and by tasting our national dish you can feel Venezuela through the palate. If you visit my country Venezuela do not forget to try our national dish. the Creole pavilion-