The Best Flour for Arepas - Complete Guide

If you’ve ever thought about making arepas from scratch at home, this article is a must read, as you definitely need to pay attention to the flour you use.

Although arepas are an extremely versatile food—they can be served as an appetizer, snack, side dish, or even a complete meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with countless different flavors and ingredients—you don’t have to be versatile in your choice of flour. that you use

If you want to make sure you make the best possible version of this Colombian and Venezuelan corn cake delight, the flour you use is essential, as flour is the main ingredient that creates the flavor for which arepas are best known around the world. the world.

In this article, we’re going to go over the history and origins of the best flour for arepas, why it’s essential to use this particular flour and not a different one, where you can find and buy this particular flour, and then we’ll wrap up answering a few questions. related.

So what is the best flour for arepas?

The best flour for arepas is Masarepa (also known as instant masa, and pre-cooked flour) a refined, pre-cooked corn flour (known in Colombia as “refined, pre-cooked corn flour”).

Some generic brands of this particular corn flour are Harina PAN, Areparina, Harina Juana and Goya, which are sold in large stores in Europe and the United States.

Read on to learn more about why using the right cornmeal is essential to making your arepas a success.

The best flour for arepas: History and origin

Hundreds of years ago, several indigenous tribes in Venezuela and Colombia prepared the first arepa with ground cornmeal, and since then it has remained a staple in the diet of the inhabitants of those regions.

Also known as daily masa bread, arepas are eaten by individuals of all socioeconomic groups, at any time of the day. The cornmeal used in the arepa is by far the most important part of the food, since its name derives from the word “erepa”, which is the indigenous word for corn.

Until the 1950s, arepas were eaten primarily as bread and a garnish. However, over time, as arepas became more popular, individuals became more creative with the fillings.

While stuffed arepas used to be called tostadas, they are now simply called arepas rellenas or arepa rellenas. Arepa fillings vary and there are now countless recipes available, all with different fillings.

However, the main ingredient, the masarepa, has never changed.

Before machinery was developed to aid in the process of refining the kernels, the masarepa used in arepas was prepared by soaking dried corn in water and then manually pounding the kernels until the seed germ and coating were removed. Exterior. The part of the corn that remained was cooked and ground. This ground corn was the origin of the first arepas.

In recent years, like the refining process for other grains and foods, this labor-intensive process has been automated with machines and done at an industrial level.

However, if you wanted to, you can still make the flour by hand. This process involves first boiling the corn in water with lime (the chemical) to loosen the husks, then draining the water and placing the corn in a large wooden bowl. Be sure to keep the corn moist (add water if necessary).

Next, pound the corn with a wooden mallet until the husks (with the germs attached) break off the kernels. After this, soak the corn in water to wash the husks. Lastly, take these corn kernels, cook them, crush them and turn them into dough.

(If you want a great arepas recipe, check out this one.)

Nowadays, when you buy the masarepa in the store (which would be the most common way to get it, since making it manually is quite laborious) the masarepa that you buy is prepared in the following way: the dry corn was husked, the seed and germ were removed, and then the grains were cooked, ground, dried and packaged.

The result? You get a masarepa that tastes just like the real thing, so we recommend buying Masarepa before preparing your arepas. (see where you can buy Masarepa below).

The Best Flour for Arepas: Why Other Flours Don’t Work

When most people hear that the flour needed to make arepas is refined, pre-cooked corn flour, they often make one of two mistakes: 1) they assume that regular corn flour will work just as well, and 2) they assume that masa harina, the Mexican version of cornmeal, will work the same

They assume regular cornmeal will work the same

This assumption is to be expected, since masarepa and cornmeal have quite a bit in common. The relationship between masarepa and cornmeal is analogous to the relationship between breadcrumbs and flour.

Although masarepa and cornmeal are made from the same basic material, cornmeal is ground raw, while masarepa is fully cooked before being ground. The result? Differences in texture once they are introduced into the dough.

When cornmeal is mixed with liquid, it doesn’t absorb the liquid, so it just sits there. In contrast, masarepa can and does absorb liquid, giving the dough a putty-like texture. This putty-like dough can be easily molded into different shapes, such as cupcakes, which cannot be done with regular cornmeal.

They assume that masa harina, the Mexican version of cornmeal, will work just as well.

Although masa harina is very similar to masarepa, it is not exactly the same. Masa harina is a corn dough that is treated with lime, which removes the germs and its outer coating, before it is dried and ground into fine cornmeal. This fine cornmeal is the main ingredient in several popular Mexican foods, such as tortillas, pupusas, and gorditas.

Unlike masa harina, masarepa is made with large-kernel corn that has large, starchy endosperms, making it a much starchier flour than masa harina, which is what is used in tortillas. Since the preparation of the masarepa does not include the use of chemical lime, the flavor ends up being a little milder.

Since masarepa is starchier but thinner than masa harina, it is the perfect cornmeal to be pan-fried or fried into arepas.

Masarepa: Where can you buy it?

When buying Masarepa at popular grocery stores, it will typically be sold by one of the following brands: Harina PAN, Areparina, Harina Juana, and Goya. All cornmeal sold by these brands is genuine masarepa that is meant to be used to make arepas.

Amazon

Although I don’t usually recommend buying food products on Amazon, if you’re dying to make arepas but don’t feel like taking the time to go to a physical store to buy the right flour, ordering it on Amazon is a viable option.

On Amazon, you can find Goya’s Enriched White Cornmeal, which is the equivalent of pre-cooked Masarepa.

You can also buy PAN white cornmeal from Harina PAN, which is 100% gluten-free, made in the USA, and another equivalent to pre-cooked Masarepa.

Walmart

Nowadays it seems that Walmart sells everything, and the Masarepa is no exception. Considering there are nearly 12,000 Walmart locations worldwide, you shouldn’t have any trouble locating one near you to pick up some Harina PAN to use in your arepas.

amigofoods

Amigofoods is an e-commerce Latino food store that sells a wide variety of Latino food products, including PAN Flour; the exact flour you need to prepare arepas.

costco

Costco is a huge chain of stores in the US Costco has Harina PAN, but only in places with a large Latino population, like Miami.

eBay

On eBay there are also people selling Harina PAN cornmeal. Although this is exactly the same cornmeal that is sold everywhere else I’ve listed, one potential advantage of using eBay is faster shipping times and lower prices.

The Best Flour for Arepas: Related Questions

Is there a difference between using white cornmeal and yellow cornmeal?

There is no difference between using white cornmeal and yellow cornmeal. What you choose to use ultimately comes down to personal preference.

Despite this, it is not surprising that some people fiercely argue that their preferred color is the right choice.

Some people claim that yellow cornmeal is a bit more bitter/tangy than white cornmeal; however, the science behind arepas does not support this claim and it could simply be the placebo effect.

That being said, most masarepa is sold in the white cornmeal form, so don’t feel like you need to find the yellow kind to get your arepas made right.

Can I still make arepas with Masa Harina or regular cornmeal?

Yes, you can still make arepas using masa harina or regular cornmeal. As long as you follow the correct cooking procedure, the arepas will still be edible.

However, the disadvantages of using normal cornmeal or masa harina are that the arepas are not going to have a different flavor that might not be as smooth to mix with elaborate meats and spices. Also, the texture of the arepas could be too flimsy, as the masarepa is much starchier than previous alternatives.