A traditional Venezuelan dish of corn, pork, and cheese
Cachapas are a traditional dish from the llanos of Venezuela
Hola, friends! I hope you have enjoyed getting to know my team a little bit over the last few years. It has been really special for me to share recipes from the people who help bring our ideas, thoughts and passions to life—like chef Hector’s Red Pozole or Chef Koji’s Nikujaka, beef and potatoes. Each of these recipes comes straight from the heart, and reflects the heritages and cultures of our amazing team.
Today’s recipe comes from Mapi Moron, our office manager. She is at the heart of our organization and keeps us all in line! Mapi is from Valencia, Venezuela, and her family recipe is for Cachapas, a traditional Venezuelan dish made from maiz (corn) flour. Like arepas, they’re often served as a street food, a type of pancake folded around a soft, stretchy mozzarella-like cheese and topped with slow-cooked pork or crispy, crunchy, salty chicharrón.
Venezuelan food is based largely on crops indigenous to the country, including corn, which is used in many traditional dishes. Mapi remembers eating cachapas for a Sunday lunch, served with traditional cheeses (Queso Guyanés, de mano or telita) and pork or chicharrón. She enjoyed it on her family farm as a young child, or as an after school surprise at a restaurant with her mother.
Mapi’s cachapas are her interpretation of two recipes: her mother’s recipe, and cachapas she enjoyed with a college friend in the llanos (the savannas) of Venezuela right before she moved to the U.S. She makes them to share a taste of home with her friends here in the States, and it should always be shared, since, as she says, “the process of making it is beautiful.”
A few recipe notes from Mapi:
Blend the mixture just enough to come together but it should still have a few whole corn kernels for texture.
Make sure you put enough oil in the pan (a flat iron or comal is way better for making these).
Flip the cachapa when it is dry on top, just like a pancake. It should look golden brown with dark edges.
As always, if you make this recipe, send me a note at longertables@joseandres.com or leave a comment below!
Cachapas
Serves 4