Cachapa

Venezuelan fresh corn pancake: thick, golden, and sweetly fragrant, folded around soft white cheese, one of the oldest and most beloved corn preparations of the northern Andes

Origin: Venezuela

From the journey of Corn.

The cachapa is older than Venezuela itself. Long before Spanish colonisers arrived in the 16th century, the indigenous peoples of the northern coast and inland valleys were grinding fresh corn into a batter and cooking thick, sweet pancakes on clay griddles over open fires. The cachapa, from an indigenous word for the fresh corn, is made from the sweet white or yellow corn of the region, ground or blended with the barest addition of sugar and salt, and cooked slowly on a budare (a flat iron griddle) until golden and fragrant. Unlike the arepa, which uses dried and processed corn flour, the cachapa uses fresh corn at peak sweetness; its batter is naturally liquid, its texture somewhere between a pancake and a crêpe, soft and yielding rather than crisp. It is served folded in half around queso de mano: a soft, mild Venezuelan white cheese similar to fresh mozzarella; or queso de telita. The sweet-salty contrast of the corn pancake with the mild, milky cheese is one of the most ancient and satisfying flavour combinations in South American food.

Ingredients

Cachapa

500 g fresh corn kernels (from 4 large cobs) or thawed frozen corn
2 tbsp caster sugar
0.5 tsp fine salt
3 tbsp fine cornmeal or masa harina, if needed to thicken
1 tbsp unsalted butter, for the pan

To serve

300 g queso de mano, queso fresco, or fresh mozzarella, sliced
30 g unsalted butter, to serve

Method

Blend the corn kernels until a smooth, slightly liquid batter forms. Add sugar and salt. The batter should pour slowly; if it is too thin (very watery corn), stir in cornmeal a tablespoon at a time until it thickens to a pourable but not runny consistency.
Heat a non-stick pan or flat griddle over medium-low heat. Add a little butter. Pour a ladle of batter (about 150ml) into the centre and let it spread into a disc about 15cm across and 1cm thick.
Cook for 4–5 minutes until the edges look set and the underside is deep golden. Flip carefully with a wide spatula and cook the second side for 3–4 minutes.
Place slices of cheese on one half of the cachapa while it is still in the pan. Fold the other half over the cheese, press lightly, and cook for 1 more minute until the cheese begins to soften.
Serve immediately with a pat of butter on top. Cachapas must be eaten hot; they lose their texture quickly.

Notes

Cachapas are eaten for breakfast, as a snack (merienda), or as a street food from roadside stands called cachaperas. The best cachapas use the sweet white corn of the Venezuelan plains: a variety with a higher natural sugar content than standard sweet corn. If using very sweet fresh corn, reduce the added sugar to 1 tablespoon. In the Llanos (Venezuelan plains), cachapas are sometimes made using a wooden press rather than a ladle, producing a larger, flatter disc. Queso de mano is traditional; mozzarella is the closest widely available substitute.

The Gastrographer

Name: Cachapa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Venezuela
Ingredients: 500 g fresh corn kernels (from 4 large cobs) or thawed frozen corn; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 0.5 tsp fine salt; 3 tbsp fine cornmeal or masa harina, if needed to thicken; 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for the pan; 300 g queso de mano, queso fresco, or fresh mozzarella, sliced; 30 g unsalted butter, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control