3,000 Years of Arepas: The Corn Cake That Connects Gran Colombia

Long before there was a Colombia or a Venezuela, there were arepas. Archaeological evidence suggests indigenous peoples have been making these corn cakes for over 3,000 years. The name itself comes from "erepa" in the Cumanagoto language of what is now Venezuela.

One Food, Many Styles

The arepa transcends borders while expressing regional identity. In Colombia, there are at least 75 distinct preparations—from the thin, cheese-filled arepas of Antioquia to the egg-stuffed arepas de huevo of the Caribbean coast.

Venezuelan arepas tend to be thicker and split open like pockets, filled with everything from shredded beef (reina pepiada) to black beans. An estimated 70% of Venezuelans eat arepas regularly—it's as fundamental as bread in Europe.

The Great Arepa Debate

Colombians and Venezuelans playfully argue over which country "owns" the arepa. It's a friendly rivalry that actually demonstrates shared heritage: both nations claim the same food because both nations emerged from the same culinary tradition.

The debate itself is evidence of unity. You don't fight over who invented a dish unless both cultures consider it fundamental to their identity.

Encanto and Global Recognition

When Disney's 2021 film Encanto—set in Colombia—featured arepas prominently, it introduced the dish to global audiences. The Madrigal family eats arepas; Abuela serves them. It's a small detail that resonated with millions of Colombians and Venezuelans who saw their daily staple represented on screen.

Food as Integration

Culinary traditions are perhaps the most persistent form of cultural unity. Politicians change, borders shift, but people keep eating what their grandparents ate. The arepa has survived colonialism, independence, the rise and fall of Gran Colombia, dictatorships, democracy, and everything in between.

Every arepa eaten in Bogotá or Caracas, in Miami or Madrid, is a small act of Gran Colombian persistence. The political union may have dissolved in 1831, but the culinary union never ended.