Venezuelan Arepas Go International on 12 September

Come Join the Venezuelan Arepa Party at Cargo, Shoreditch, on 12 September 

On Saturday 12 September Venezuelans around the world will be flying their national flag, playing Venezuelan music, and gathering together in an act of gastronomic unity to enjoy the country's most emblematic national dish: arepas.

That's because the 12th of September has been christened World Arepa Day (El Dia Mundial de la Arepa), an international event that aims to spread the word about this scrumptious South American street food and turn on local foodies, adventurous eaters, and gastronauts to the joys of the arepa.

These cornflour patties, made from Harina PAN, can be eaten plain, or stuffed with delicious fillings like shredded beef, shredded chicken, black beans, grated cheese, fried plantains and dollops of goopy avocado sauce called guasacaca..

In London, the place to be for this culinary celebration is at the outdoor food area by Cargo, at 89 Rivington Street in Shoreditch, where the folks from the Guasacaca food stall will be cooking up a full spread of fillings to delight all tastes, including vegetarian options, from 12-8 pm (although under 18's can only stay until 4 pm).

One must-try arepa is the Reina Pepiada, a lip-smacking combination of shredded chicken, mashed avocado, mayonnaise and peas. Not surprisingly for Venezuela - famous for the stunning beauty of its lady folk - the Reina Pepiada is named after local lovely Susana Dujim, who won Miss World in 1955.

All the arepas cost £6 and you can mix and match any of the fillings on the menu.

According to David Gutierrez Aznar, who runs Guasacaca, it's a huge honour to create a little corner of Venezuela in London on such an important day.

Harina PAN goodie bags

"We really want to make Venezuelans in London feel like they are at home on 12 September, with traditional games, music and, of course, the traditional flavours of our arepas," says David.

"But we also want British people to come over and try our food because every year we do this the feedback is incredible and when people here try our arepas they really love them."

To set a party mood Chebeto Requena, a Venezuelan musician based in London will be providing traditional tunes throughout the afternoon, and Santa Teresa rum cocktails should warm things up if the weather turns cold.,

Guasacaca have also put together some Harina PAN goodie-bags with a kilo of flour, and a booklet of recipes showing how to make arepas. The bags will be raffled on the day.

For more information follow @guascacalondon on Twitter and the hashtags #WorldArepaDay, #DiaMundialDeLaArepa, and #ArepaLovers

The outdoor space at Cargo will be covered in the yellow, red, and blue of the Venezuelan flag on Saturday, 12 September, to celebrate World Arepa Day. 

Celebrate World Arepa Day, London, 14 September

Saturday, 14 September is Arepazo Mundial - World Arepa Day - and food stalls and restaurants all over the world will be celebrating the staple food of Venezuela by cooking up arepas (cornbread buns) of all shapes and sizes, stuffed with all manner of tasty fillings.

 

              The Arepazo Mundial brings together all Venezuelans - wherever they may be - in an act of gastronomic unity, and this year is no exception. If you want to join in the celebrations in London, head for the Guasacaca food stall in London's Acklam Village Market, off Portobello Road (W10), which will be serving a full spread of arepas to delight all tastes from 11 am to 6 pm.

The guys at Guasacaca have also organized a special day of Latin music and dancing, courtesy of London radio station Latina Network, that will include live music, salsa classes and other surprises.

For those new to the arepa, these disc-shaped cornbread buns are big enough to hold in two hands and can be eaten plain or with butter. More typically, they are opened up like a pocket and stuffed with savoury fillings, such as shredded beef, black beans, grated cheese, avocado and chicken, or any combination that takes your fancy.

The must-try arepa filling they sell at Guasacaca is the Reina Pepiada, a lip-smacking combination of shredded chicken, mashed avocado, mayonnaise and peas.

Not surprisingly for Venezuela - famous for the stunning beauty of its lady folk - the Reina Pepiada is named after local lovely Susana Dujim, who won Miss World in 1955.

The Reina Pepiada is popular with Venezuelan party-goers who like to end a big night out with something sticky, savoury and filling (a sort of South American version of the donor kebab).

But whatever filling you try, don't forget to add the final flourish, a dollop of tasty guasaca sauce, made with avocados, or a spicy splash of picante hot sauce.

All arepas cost £5 and you can mix and match any of the fillings on the menu.

For the young Venezuelans who run the stall, David Gutierrez, Irua Dugarte, Andrea Villalba and Andres Gonzalez, the Arepazo Mundial is an excellent opportunity to spread the word about Venezuelan food and convert more people to the flavours of their homeland.

Acklam Village Market (W10 5TY) is one of the coolest street food markets in London, a place to feed your face after a morning browsing the antique stalls and vintage clothes shops of Portobello Road. A recent visitor to the stall is none other than British Prime Minister David Cameron (see photo below).

The Guasacaca stall is in front of a laid back bar with tables and sofas where you can sip a beer and listen to live music while tucking into the international street food on offer from the various stalls. On Saturday, expect live music and dancing events organized by Latina Network, a London-based radio station that broadcasts news and music for the Latin American community.

How to get there: Take the Tube to Ladbroke Grove on the Hammersmith and City or Circle Lines and then cross the street and walk straight on until you get to the market entrance. Alternatively go to Notting Hill Gate on the Central Line and make your way down Portobello Road to Acklam Road.

 

 

To find out more about the arepazo in London go on Twitter - #ArepazoMundial #DíaInternacionalDeLaArepa @GUASACACALONDON @latinanetwork

Recipe: Guasacaca - Venezuela's Tastiest Sauce

(All text Copyright Russell Maddicks)

Guasacaca is probably one of the finest sauces ever invented. It has a cool name that rolls off the tongue and a taste that makes your mouth go ñum ñum!

It's a simple but staggeringly tasty combination of avocado, fresh parsley and coriander, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, oil and vinegar.

And it's quick and easy to make. You just throw the ingredients in the blender and whoozh until you get the consistency you want: thicker for dips, runnier for drizzling on empanadas, arepas and meat.

In Venezuela, guasacaca is eaten with barbecued meat from the parilla - beef, sausage, chicken, and my favourite morcilla (black pudding).

Unlike a lot of US chefs, George knows the difference between Venezuelan guasacaca and Mexican guacamole. He was born in Caracas to Armenian parents, before moving to New York, where he lives today.

The only change I would make to George's excellent recipe is to replace the olive oil with corn oil, to keep it 100 per cent authentic.

If you have a family recipe for guasacaca you want to share just add a comment below.

George Duran's Guasacaca Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 green sweet peppers, seeded, deveined, and roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
2 cloves garlic
Half a bunch of fresh parsley leaves
Half a bunch fresh cilantro leaves
A third cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Preparation:
Put everything except the olive oil into a food processor and process until mostly smooth. Add the olive oil in a stream with the processor running and process until smooth. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve sauce at room temperature with meats, fish, or vegetable chips. If made in advance, store, covered, in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Keep Calm and Eat Arepas - In Portobello Market

Andres Gonzalez and David Gutierrez, who run the Guasacaca food stall in London's Acklam Village Market, have had so many requests for their distinctive "Keep Calm and Eat Arepas" T-shirts that they have decided to sell them. Now you can visit the stall in London's Portobello Road, enjoy a traditional Venezuelan arepa and pick up a cool T-shirt to impress your friends. Guasacaca is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.

If you want a tasty Venezuelan snack in South London head for Acklam Village Market (W10) - an offshoot of Portobello Road Market - where the folks at the Guasacaca foodstall offer a full spread of arepas to delight all tastes.

For the enterprising young Venezuelans who run the stall, David Gutierrez, Irua Dugarte, Andrea Villalba and Andres Gonzalez, the small but colourful stall is an excellent opportunity to spread the word about Venezuelan food and convert more people to the flavours of their homeland.

For those new to the arepa, these disc-shaped cornbread patties are big enough to hold in two hands and can be eaten plain or with butter. More typically, they are opened up like a pocket and stuffed with tasty fillings, such as shredded beef, black beans, grated cheese, avocado and chicken, or any combination that takes your fancy.

The must-try arepa filling they sell at Guasacaca is the Reina Pepiada, a lip-smacking combination of shredded chicken, mashed avocado, mayonnaise and peas.

Not surprisingly for Venezuela - famous for the stunning beauty of its lady folk - the Reina Pepiada is named after local lovely Susana Dujim, who won Miss World in 1955. It is popular with Venezuelan party-goers who like to end a big night out with something sticky, savoury and filling (a sort of South American version of the donor kebab).

But whatever filling you try, don't forget to add the final flourish, a dollop of tasty guasaca sauce, made with avocados, or a spicy splash of picante hot sauce.
All arepas cost £5 and you can mix and match any of the fillings on the menu.

The latest addition to the stall came about by chance. The "keep Calm and Eat Arepas" T-shirts that the Guasacaca team had specially printed to give the stall. a distinctive look have proved so popular with customers that they have decided to offer them for sale. 

The T-shirts are so popular in fact that David recommends that anyone interested in buying one should contact Guasacaca with their sizes and colour preferences to avoid disappointment, either at their Guasacaca-London facebook page or email them at Guasacacalondon@gmail.com

Acklam Village Market (W10 5TY) is one of the coolest street food markets in London, a place to feed your face after a morning browsing the posh antique shops and cheap and cheerful vintage clothes stalls of Portobello Road.

Guasacaca is flanked by a variety of stalls selling ethnic street foods from a variety of countries. One of the benefits of Acklam is the laid back bar with tables and sofas where you can sip a beer and listen to live music while tucking into your Venezuelan arepas, Jamaican patties or South Indian samosas.

How to get there: Take the Tube to Ladbroke Grove on the Hammersmith and City or Circle Lines and then cross the street at the zebra crossing and walk straight through the market to Portobello Road, Acklam Village is in front of you on the other side of the road. Alternatively go to Notting Hill Gate on the Central Line and make your way down Portobello Road to Acklam Road.

Venezuelan Food at Kingston Food Festival - 20-21 Oct

Venezuelan food is the star attraction at Nochia's International Food and Music Festival, 20-21 October, in Kingston Market, London, KT1 1JS. Stalls will be serving food from 12:30-17:30.

Erika Urvina and the team at Liqui Liqui foods have been cooking up a storm to prepare a proper Venezuelan spread for visitors to the Nochia International Food and Music Festival in Kingston Market this weekend.

This is the perfect opportunity to try a delicious Venezuelan-style empanada (deep-fried pasty) stuffed with pollo (chicken), domino (black beans and white cheese) queso y platano (plantain and cheese), cazon (baby shark) or chilli con carne. They will also have pepitos de pernil (pork sandwiches).

If you have a sweet tooth try one of the tortas (cakes), or a quesillo (creme caramel), all homemade to traditional Venezuelan recipes.

You can also wash your empanadas and tortas down with a drink of papelon con limon (sugarcane juice and squeezed lemons), chicha (milky rice drink) or a tizana (juice of mixed fruits),

The South London food festival will feature live music by bands such as Ant Hatcher, Fused, Stairway to Eleven, and Ethnic Fusion, alongside an equally funky fusion of ethnic foods from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Morocco, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Mexico.

For more details of the Nochia Food and Music Festival in Kingston Market click here

Celebrate World Arepa Day in London 15 September

The Guasacaca food stall in London's Acklam Village Market will be serving traditional Venezuelan arepas from 11 am to 6:30 pm on Saturday, 15 September, to celebrate the Arepazo Mundial - World Arepa Day.

On Saturday 15 September Venezuelans around the world will be getting together in an act of gastronomic unity to enjoy the country's most emblematic national dish: the arepa.

In London, the place to be for this culinary celebration is Acklam Village Market (W10), where the folks at the Guasacaca food stall will have a full spread of arepas to delight all tastes.

For those new to the arepa, these disc-shaped cornbread patties are big enough to hold in two hands and can be eaten plain or with butter. More typically, they are opened up like a pocket and stuffed with tasty fillings, such as shredded beef, black beans, grated cheese, avocado and chicken, or any combination that takes your fancy.

The must-try arepa filling they sell at Guasacaca is the Reina Pepiada, a lip-smacking combination of shredded chicken, mashed avocado, mayonnaise and peas.

Not surprisingly for Venezuela - famous for the stunning beauty of its lady folk - the Reina Pepiada is named after local lovely Susana Dujim, who won Miss World in 1955.

The Reina Pepiada is popular with Venezuelan party-goers who like to end a big night out with something sticky, savoury and filling (a sort of South American version of the donor kebab).

But whatever filling you try, don't forget to add the final flourish, a dollop of tasty guasaca sauce, made with avocados, or a spicy splash of picante hot sauce.

All arepas cost £5 and you can mix and match any of the fillings on the menu.

For the young Venezuelans who run the stall, David Gutierrez, Irua Dugarte, Andrea Villalba and Andres Gonzalez, the Arepazo Mundial is an excellent opportunity to spread the word about Venezuelan food and convert more people to the flavours of their homeland.

Acklam Village Market (W10 5TY) is one of the coolest street food markets in London, a place to feed your face after a morning browsing the antique stalls and shops of Portobello Road.

The market has a laid back bar with tables and sofas where you can sip a beer and listen to live music while tucking into the international street food on offer from the various stalls.

How to get there: Take the Tube to Ladbroke Grove on the Hammersmith and City or Circle Lines and then cross the street and walk straight on until you get to the market entrance. Alternatively go to Notting Hill Gate on the Central Line and make your way down Portobello Road to Acklam Road.

A comer! Venezuela Makes World's Biggest Arepa

By Russell Maddicks

To mark its 70th anniversary and 50 years producing Venezuela's first and most popular pre-cooked maize flour, the food and drinks firm Empresas Polar has made it into the Guinness Book of Records by cooking the world's largest arepa.

The monster maize bun was created from scratch on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, by a host of Polar employees at the company's headquarters in Los Cortijos, Caracas, who used traditional techniques to mix Harina P.A.N. (the pre-cooked maize flour used to make arepas), with water, salt and a little oil to produce the masses of dough needed for the record-breaking attempt.

The final mega-arepa measured over 6 metres in diameter and had to be cooked on a specially-designed budare (griddle).

Weighing in at over 632 kg before it was cooked, it was made with 236 kg of Harina P.A.N. and the final weight before it was served came in at 493.2 kilos.

The invigilator from the Guinness Book of Records, Ralph Hannah, said the arepa had "to be made in a the traditional way, that's to say, by hand, and must be cooked".

He then tried a slice and certified that it complied with the criteria for consistency and taste, effectively giving Empresasa Polar and Venezuela the record for the largest arepa in the world.

The president of Empresas Polar, Lorenzo Mendoza used the occasion to stress the importance of arepas in the Venezuelan diet, saying that "there is nothing more Venezuelan than the arepa" and that Venezuelans consume 33 kilos of pre-cooked maize flour per capita every year.

Empresasa Polar began in 1941 with the production of Polar beer, still the most popular beer in Venezuela. In 1960 it launched the country's first pre-cooked maize flour, Harina P.A.N.

Recipe: How to make your own Venezuelan arepas
Buying Harina Pan in the UK
Glossary: Eating at an Arepera
La Reina Pepiada: The Curvy Queen of Arepas
Pabellon Criollo - Venezuela's National Dish
Recipe: Caraotas Negras - Venezuelan Black Beans
Recipe: Carne Mechada - Venezuelan Shredded Beef

Recipe: How to make Venezuelan empanadas

A short video with step-by-step instructions on how to make Venezuelan empanadas from scatch using harina P.A.N. (pre-cooked corn flour).

Simple and quick to make, the half-moon-shaped corn pockets are filled with cheese, shredded beef or chicken, minced beef and even cheese and black beans (called a domino) and then fried.

Easily the most popular snacks in Venezuela, they are eaten as a quick bite for breakfast, a snack between meals or to soak up the beers at the beach. 

At the seaside they are often made with seafood, such as cazon (baby shark) or chipi-chipis (baby clams).

The most filling empanada I ever had was known as the pabellon criollo, a full-blown meal of shredded beef, black beans and  fried plantains stuffed into a larger than usual deep fried corn pocket. One was enough!

This is my first instructional video and I owe a great debt of gratitude to Jorge Franca (who edited the clips and added the soundtrack) and, of course, mi bella asistente Yadira.

Please let me know what you think.

Guasacaca - Venezuela's tastiest sauce

Guasacaca is probably one of the finest sauces ever invented. It has a cool name that rolls off the tongue and a taste that makes your mouth go ñum ñum!

It's a simple but staggeringly tasty combination of avocado, fresh parsley and coriander, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, oil and vinegar.

And it's quick and easy to make. You just throw the ingredients in the blender and whoozh until you get the consistency you want: thicker for dips, runnier for drizzling on empanadas and meat.

In Venezuela, guasacaca is eaten with barbecued meat from the parilla - beef, sausage, chicken, and my favourite morcilla (black pudding).

Unlike a lot of US chefs, George knows the difference between Venezuelan guasacaca and Mexican guacamole. He was born in Caracas to Armenian parents, before moving to New York, where he lives today.

The only change I would make to George's excellent recipe is to replace the olive oil with corn oil, to keep it 100 per cent authentic.

If you have a family recipe for guasacaca you want to share just add a comment below.

George Duran's Guasacaca Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 green sweet peppers, seeded, deveined, and roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
2 cloves garlic
Half a bunch of fresh parsley leaves
Half a bunch fresh cilantro leaves
A third cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
Pinch of black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Preparation:
Put everything except the olive oil into a food processor and process until mostly smooth. Add the olive oil in a stream with the processor running and process until smooth. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve sauce at room temperature with meats, fish, or vegetable chips. If made in advance, store, covered, in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Venezuelan rums on sale in UK

British drinkers are picking up a taste for the caramel flavours and superior quality of dark Venezuelan rums, especially now they are becoming more freely available in the UK.

Santa Teresa's aged rum Añejo is an excellent example of a quality sipping rum that also works in cocktails and sells for £14.99 at the supermarket chain Waitrose.

Pampero's Ron Añejo Especial is another good choice and sells for £17.99 at Tesco supermarkets.

All we need now are some more cocktail recipes:

Venezuelan Rum Cocktail Recipe: El Ritual

US chef brings Venezuelan food to Connecticut

Valencia Luncheria, a small Venezuela-themed restaurant in Norwalk, Conneticut, has been featured on Guy Fieri's show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives".

Fieri and his film crew take viewers into the kitchen to watch US chef Michael Young prepare some of the restaurant's signature snacks, including empanadas, pastelitos, stuffed arepas, pernil and tostones.

Young says he serves up "Venezuelan beach food" at the 16-seat snack joint.

Best of all, he knows his avocado salsas, serving both a chunky Mexican-style guacamole on his shrimp tacos and a drizzly Venezuelan guasacaca that goes on just about everything else.

To visit the Luncheria Valencia website click here.

Arepa and Co: Authentic Arepera in Camden Market, London

Glossary: Eating at an Arepera

Pabellon Criollo - Venezuela's National Dish

Buying Harina Pan in the UK

Recipe: Caraotas Negras - Venezuelan Black Beans

Recipe: Carne Mechada - Venezuelan Shredded Beef

The Ultimate in Arepa Chic... Tosty Arepa

Feliz Navidad Con Sabor! Venezuelan Christmas

I'd like to say a massive Feliz Navidad to all those who have visited the blog and sent me their comments. Thanks so much for all your support. I promise I'll post more recipes in the New Year.

I also have to say a big thank you to Luisa and Roberto from TU-UKSABORVENEZOLANO for making my Christmas dreams come true.

Thanks to them I was able to enjoy a traditional Venezuelan Christmas dinner on 24 December with homemade ponche crema to keep out the cold, hallacas wrapped in plantain leaves, ensalada de gallina and a huge pan de jamon - with my name on it!

They also made me a wicked quesillo, Venezuela's creole version of the classic French dessert creme caramel, or flan.

All I had to do was crank up the gaitas for some traditional sounds to accompany the great Venezuelan food and drinks.

To order Venezuelan specialities in London contact Luisa or Robert on 0798-523-9852, 0795-610-1227 or 0178-424-5231 or email them at: tu-uksaborvenezolano@hotmail.co.uk

Willie's Cacao Launches Las Trincheras Bar

After a few weeks of looking for Willie harcourt-Cooze's new "Limited Edition" chocolate bar made from special cacao beans sourced from the Las Trincheras hacienda in Venezuela's Carabobo State, I was lucky enough to find one in Waitrose this morning.

At £2.99 for two small, individually wrapped chocolate squares, Willie's chocolate bars are more suited to an occasional expensive treat - or Christmas gift for a special friend - than a daily cacao fix.

But what can you do? Where else am I going to find Venezuelan chocolate of this quality in the UK?

Hacienda Las Trincheras is a small but historic cacao plantation and as such it is being supported by the Venezuelan environmental NGO Tierra Viva, which promotes sustainable development at a number of small cacao plantations that continue to produce unique cacao strains.





Click here to see Willie's new Chocolate Factory Cookbook

Willie's Wonky Chocolate Factory brings Venezuelan cacao to UK

Chuao: In Search of World's Finest Cocoa Beans

Arepa and Co: The only Venezuelan food outlet in the UK

Hallacas and Pan de Jamon - Venezuelan Xmas in London

For details of the 11 December 2011 Venezuelan Christmas Bazaar at Bolivar Hall, London, click here.

There was a tropical twist to the usual run-up to Christmas in London on Sunday, 6 December, as the Venezuelan community turned out in force to savour traditional festive dishes at the annual Bazaar Navideno held in Bolivar Hall, the Venezuelan Embassy's cultural centre in Grafton Street.

To the sound of gaitas and the aroma of hallacas, the assembled visitors made the most of the opportunity to catch up with old mates, swap stories and introduce British friends to the essential elements of a Venezuelan Christmas.

All the delicious dishes you'd expect to grace the table of a Venezuelan Christmas meal were on display, from hallacas and pan de jamon, to ensalada de gallina, pernil and sweet desserts such as torta de navidad and quesillo.

The most surprising thing about the event this year was the number of stalls making Venezuelan food "por encargo" ("to order") and the range of dishes being offered, from pasapalos (party snacks) like tequenos to Christmas drinks like Ponche Crema.

Venezuelans offering traditional food to order

Mi Cocina es Tuya

After many years in the business of cooking Venezuelan food Alexis and Mary Pulido know how to adapt the ingredients they find in the UK to make their dishes taste authentic. They have provided the catering at Anglo-Venezuelan Society events and have a well-established food stall at the annual Carnaval del Pueblo in Elephant and Castle, the largest Latin American outdoor festival in Europe.

Telephone: 0208-768-2701
Mobile: 0750-862-6486
Email: micocinaestuya@hotmail.com
webpage:Mi Cocina es Tuya

Tu UK Navidena


Roberto Jardin and Luisa Chavez might look like cowboys in the photo, but there was nothing dodgy about their pan de jamon, which was one of the best I've had in the UK and the pastry was just right.

Mobile: 0798-523-9852
0795-610-1227
0178-424-5231
email: tu-uksaborvenezolano@hotmail.co.uk

Lulu's Flavours


Libia Marulanda has been cooking for the ambassadors of Venezuela for 14 years and makes and excellent ensalada de gallina. Apart from the hallacas and hallaquitas on her stall, she was doing a roaring trade in homemade tequenos, the Venezuelan party snack of choice.

Mobile: 0794-956-3783
0794-487-1422

Ponche Crema - Venezuelan Xmas in a glass

December is here and it's time to break out the glasses and share a cordial round of Ponche Crema, Venezuela's most typical festive drink.

Made from alcohol, milk, egg-whites, sugar and a few a closely-guarded secret ingredients, Ponche Crema has been infusing Venezuelan family gatherings with Christmas spirit since Eliodoro Gonzalez P. first came up with the concoction in 1900.

It wasn't the first ponche ever invented, as Venezuelans had been making their own home recipes of milk, sugar and rum (even cognac in some cases) for years and continue to do so today, but Don Eliodoro's Ponche Crema had the distinction of becoming a household name and a national tradition.

A chemist, perfumer and tireless entrepreneur, Don Eliodoro really hit the jackpot with his Ponche Crema, which was so popular when it first came out that the president of the republic, Cipriano Castro, personally signed the patent for it on 17 March 1904.

Not content with local glory, Eliodoro then took his patented cream punch on a tour of the great fairs of the United States and Europe. It was a smash in London, where it won the "Grand Prix" at the 1908 fair, and was received with accolades at the Saint Louis World Fair in Missouri, the International Maritime Exhibit in Bordeaux and the Food and Hygiene Exhibit in Paris, the capital of fashion and taste at the time.

A commentator wrote afterwards: "With the same confidence in his dreams he felt like a Columbus in reverse: he wanted to conquer the Old World, the ancient and arrogant Europe. For this endeavour he did not need an army, nor religion, nor violence, and even less the useless promise of gold... A little milk, eggs, sugar and a 'touch' of alcohol would be all he neded to amaze those who, with the sheer passage of time, had lost faith."

Don Eliodoro died on 29 January, 1923, with his place in Venezuela's culinary history firmly established. The secret of his punch was passed on to his relatives, known as the Successors of Eliodoro Gonzalez P.

They have continued to produce Ponche Crema in exactly the same way to the present day and it is now exported to Miami and New York in the USA, the Canary Islands, Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Saint Marteen, Antigua and Saint Thomas.

Today, only four people are entrusted with the secret - which many have tried to copy but which none have bettered - and the company is keen to stress that the famous recipe is the best kept industrial secret in the world.

Whatever Ponche Crema contains, served over ice in punch glasses this exotic eggnog definitely hits the spot.

The company's slogan is "Navidad es compartir!" ("Christmas is for sharing") and in my experience Ponche Crema is the one thing guaranteed to bring the family together and get otherwise straight-laced tios and tias shaking their stuff to the latest reggaeton tracks following the traditional Christmas meal, held late on 24 December.

As a friend once said to me after I turned down a glass of the sweet, Bailey's like drink: "No tienes miedo pana. Bebetelo! Es nacional y hoy es navidad!" ("Don't be scared, mate. Drink it up! It's a national drink and today is Christmas!").

Before I knew it I was doing my best(?!) Daddy Yankee impression while elderly auntie Caridad showed off her "perreo" and everybody stood round and clapped.

That's what I call a feliz navidad. Gracias por exisitir Don Eliodoro Gonzalez Poleo.

Drinking cerveza Maracucho style

Our good friend from Maracaibo explains how to drink a beer in Record-Guinness-style.

Rum cocktails - El Ritual

When it comes to rum cocktails, most people who like the occasional umbrella in their drink have tried a Cuban Mojito, a Strawberry Daiquiri or a Pina Colada, but how many people have tried Venezuela's wild and wonderful rum concoction El Ritual?

Closer to a Tequila slammer than a true cocktail El Ritual, as its name suggests, is not about mixing interesting flavours in a glass, but creating an event, performing a set of steps that allow you to mix the raw flavours in your mouth for a full-on explosion of taste bud-tingling tropical nonsense.

And you don't need to be a barman to make it. Trust me.

The first ingredient - and there's no point starting without this - is a shot-glass-sized-helping of aged Venezuelan rum.

Quality sipping rums like Pampero Aniversario, Cacique 500 or Santa Teresa 1796 are excellent for this, because they have the most complex flavours.

But don't be put off, any dark Venezuelan rum will do.

Second, you need a few limes cut into wedges.

Third, you pour brown sugar and instant coffee into two separate piles on a dish or tray.

Then all you do is take a lime wedge, dip one side into the sugar, the other into the coffee and bite and suck on it.

Immediately the bitterness of the coffee and the sweetness of the sugar will fill your mouth and threaten to overwhelm your tastebuds. But don't panic. Help is at hand.

Take the glass of rum and have a swig. You don't need to down it one just take enough rum into your mouth to let all the flavours mingle.

A second swig from the glass will bring in new flavours, as the rich warm buttery taste of the rum replaces the slight bitterness of the coffee and the shallow sweetness of the sugar.

When you've finished just lick your lips, get back in line and have another one.

It sounds like an unlikely combination, I know, but somehow it works.

And it's like rocket fuel at parties. Apart from the alcohol in the rum, the coffee and sugar work well together to lift the energy of a flagging get together or dinner. Serve a couple of rounds of El Ritual just before the salsa tunes kick in and strictly dance floor mayhem is sure to ensue.

There are no excuses for not experimenting with Venezuelan rums in the UK, Waitrose supermarkets currently stock a good aged rum from Santa Teresa called "Gran Reserva" and I've seen Pampero "Gold" on sale in bars, so it must be on sale somewhere (let me know if you find out where).

In Italy, El Ritual is a key element in Pampero's publicity campaign, which went out with the rather odd slogan: "Il rum piu bevuto nei peggiori bar di Caracas" ("The rum most drunk in the worst bar in Caracas".)

The TV ad (watch it below)shows a motley bunch of drinkers downing shots of Pampero Aniversario with lime, sugar and coffee as they watch a boxing match.

Given the usual parade of beautiful people with perfect smiles, gym bodies and silicone enhancements who populate drink ads in Venezuela, some Venezuelans took offence at the image of Caracas depicted in the ad - with its less-than-glamorous drinkers tottering about in a dive bar - but it was a big hit with the Italians and helped establish Pampero as a major player in the Italian rum market.

So try something new. Give El Ritual a go and let me know if it works for you.

Guayoyo o tetero, flaco? - Venezuelan coffee glossary

You can credit Starbucks for the annoying coffee snobbery that turns seemingly normal people into seething wrecks of a morning if they can't get hold of their usual "grande, half-caf, non-fat, sugar-free, double-shot, extra-foam, no-whip, pumpkin-spice latte - with extra cinnamon", or whatever over-frothed, over-priced muck they drink in place of regular java.

But all the Starbucks snobbery in the world will cut no ice in Venezuela, where the usual coffee rules don't apply and the etiquette of ordering is as important as knowing the subtle differences between a con leche grande and a marron claro grande.

Where to buy?

The best place to get a caffeine fix in Venezuela is definitely at your local panaderia. Literally translated as "bakery", a panaderia is much more than a place to buy bread and cakes.

Panaderias also sell tasty savoury delights such as empanadas (cornmeal or pastry pasties filled with cheese, chicken or beef) and cachitos (crescent-moon-shaped pastries stuffed with chopped ham).

But it's the coffee that pulls the customers in, and panaderia coffee is worth standing in line for.

The quality of Venezuela's locally-grown coffee is excellent - mainly because the export market is so small that the best quality beans are consumed in the country, unlike neighbouring Colombia where all you can get most places is lukewarm Nescafe from a thermos.

The great coffee experience to be had in Venezuela is also due to the huge influx of Italian immigrants - both before and after the Second World War - who not only brought with them Gaggia coffee machines but also the methods of dark-roasting the beans that gives them such a strong flavour.

No matter where you go, from the biggest city to the smallest village, every panaderia worthy of its name will have a Gaggia machine pumping out strong black coffee and steam to froth the milk.

What to order?

Ordering coffee can be complicated for first-timers in Venezuela. Asking for "un cafe por favor" won't get you very far.

Basically there are two sizes available in most places: the larger cafe grande, which isn't that big by Starbucks standards and the smaller cafe pequeno, which is equivalent to a small expresso.

A large black coffee, or cafe negro grande, is strong enough to give some people the caffeine shakes, so one solution is the oddly-named guayoyo, a black coffee that has been slightly watered down.

If you're looking for a latte equivalent order a con leche grande. If you want it extra milky order a tetero grande. A tetero is a baby's bottle in Spanish so don't expect much of a caffeine kick.

For a darker, stronger coffee ask for a marron grande. I like it strong and dark so I always ask for a marron oscuro grande.

If you like it extra strong remember to add the word fuerte at the end of your order.

Some people complicate the issue even further by ordering odd combinations like a marron claro grande, which is so close to a con leche grande that I can't see any difference.

The only other coffee you might want to order is the carajillo, a black coffee with a shot of rum or Brandy. The drink has its roots in the Spanish ocupation of Cuba, when the troops would get a little courage, or corajillo before a battle by adding rum to their coffee.

How to order?

Don't expect the staff to fall over themselves to take your order. Most panaderias will a have signs up on the wall saying you have to buy a ticket from the cashier before ordering your coffee or snacks, so simply asking for stuff without a ticket to wave can result in a complete blank.

Even when you do get the ticket you still have to expect the sometimes overfamiliar interaction between staff and customers that is typical in Venezuela.

The first time I walked into my local panaderia, the girl who sold the empanadas and cachitos greeted me with a big smile and a cheeky: "Hola, ojos del mar, que quieres hoy?" ("Hi, blue eyes, what do you want today").

The serious looking kid with the moustache, meanwhile, would rarely utter anything more than: "Dime flaco!" ("Tell me, skinny!").

Any hesitation in giving my order would result in a lengthy wait while he served everybody else in the store, spoke to the empanada girl and swept up a bit, before finally coming back round to me with another: "Dime flaco!"

I guess I'm lucky, because I always liked the instant familiarity you get wherever you go in Venezuela. A lady friend of mine with a healthy, fuller figure was not so impressed. She never got used to people in stores saying things to her like: "Dime gorda!" ("Tell me, fatty!").

It was in my local panaderia that I made my worst ever Spanish error. Sent down by my mother-in-law to buy pan sobado , or soda bread, I made the mistake of asking for pan sobaco.

The girls behind the counter scrunched up their noses with that quizzical look that says "What?", looked at each other and then burst into fits of giggles.

Before I could reflect on my mistake they started shouting across the panaderia what the crazy gringo had just asked for, causing even more merriment from staff and customers alike.

"Que quieres flaco?" asked the coffee guy, cracking the first smile I'd ever seen on him and adding: "Ese pan que tu quieres no sabe nada bien" ("That bread you want doesn't taste nice at all").

In my confusion I had asked for "armpit bread".

I Love Arepas - Ñum Ñum

I really like this cool graphic so I thought I'd share it.

What's the point of having a blog if you don't share.