Hello Everyone!
Today as every Friday, I do not miss the chance to post in #marketfriday, one of the communities I enjoy the most on this platform. Thanks to 
for this great idea, which allows us to know about products, places and customs people have when buying and selling goods around the world. This week, I went out to two supermarkets (Meijers and Marc’s) in search of a basic ingredient in Venezuelan cuisine: the pre-cooked white corn meal. This corn meal is used to prepare arepa, empanadas, boiled buns (bollos) and hallacas
for this great idea, which allows us to know about products, places and customs people have when buying and selling goods around the world. This week, I went out to two supermarkets (Meijers and Marc’s) in search of a basic ingredient in Venezuelan cuisine: the pre-cooked white corn meal. This corn meal is used to prepare arepa, empanadas, boiled buns (bollos) and hallacas Arepas
Arepas are the queen of the the Venezuelan cooking. They are made by mixing the pre-cooked meal with water and salt. They have a round and flat form. Arepas can be grilled or fried , and then once they are cooked, you can fill them with whatever you like. We fill them with egg, cheese, ham, chicken, meat, beans, fried plantain, fish , avocado or whatever you like. Arepas can be eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Hallacas and Bollos (boiled hot buns)
At Christmas time, Venezuelans eat hallacas and buns. The hallaca, which resembles the Mexican tamale, consists of a corn dough filled with a stew of beef, pork or chicken and other ingredients such as capers, onion, pepper, egg, potatoes, raisins and olives.
In the empanada, a piece of dough is stuffed with a filling (chicken, meat, cheese, etc.), folded and fried. Empanadas are usually sweet.
That said, you can see how the precooked white corn meal is basic in the Venezuelan cooking. I always prepare my arepas to feel close to home. I also love inviting people over, so they can try eat arepas for the first time. By the way, I am making arepas for a friend on Sunday, and as I do not want to run out of corn meal, I went out to look for some of it. Last year, I bought six bags of corn meal online at Walmart. They shipped them that to the closet Walmart in my area, but now I only have one bag left.
Today, I went to two big supermarkets in the area, Meijers and Marc's. I am particularly looking for Harina P.A.N. Harina P.A.N is the most popular corn meal in Venezuela and among Venezuelans living abroad.
In the two supermarkets I went, I headed to the International Food Section. Well, this section should be called "Mexican Food section" as there is a big stock of ingredients to make Mexican tacos and tamales.
Unfortunately , I did not find my Harina P.A.N. I found Maseca corn meal which is used to make tamales and tortillas. I have tried this brand before, as it was imported to Venezuela once, but it was not successful as the texture and flavor is totally different to the Harina P.A.N. Maseca is a coarser and less refined corn meal.
You can that most of the products sold in these international food sections of the market are produced by the Goya company, which is an American company. This means that in these large supermarket chains you probably will not find genuine ingredients produced in other countries. To find this type of products you have to go to specialized stores, be it Chinese, Arab or Latino grocery stores.
I had a hunch that this flour can be used to make arepas. I have never used it, but the flour looks fine, so I am assuming that it can give a soft texture to the arepas, which is what I am looking for in the first place. I'll judge the taste after I try it. This is a flour made with yellow corn instead of white corn.
I bought this snack made of plantain and this drink.
That was all I bought, I will try the corn meal the yellow corn meal soon, and I'll let you know how it went. Greetings!