The history of our queen. (In Spanish. HT: Syd)
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In praise of Blogging the Revolution
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I’m not sure I can believe any of this. Ocarina, the UCV Anthropologist/Professor, is D’Imperio!!!i
Syd, thanks. I knew the German-origen (“maestro cervecero”, I believe-not the original 1940′s one) Polar top technical man who developed the Harina Pan Maiz Pre-Cocido, and heard from him the trials, tribulations, time (believe 1.5 years or more) it took for him and his team to develop the original product.
I say without irony the hallaca is king.
Queen, Canuck, queen. Hallacas are females…
I learn so much here. Thanks
Very interesting and instructional video.
They forgot two of the most important names related to arepa: Luis Caballero Mejias who created the industrial process that allowed to prepare the arepa without much hassle. And Industrias Polar that later produced the distributed the product everywhere to the point that every corn flour is called in Venezuela Harina P.A.N.
What struck me most about the other queen was the pre-Osmel world, before all the artifice and plastic surgery took over the concept of beauty.
Venezuelans love of arepas , goes back to the XVII Century when venezuela was a very primitive backward outpost of the spanish empire, The first known report of the arepas was made by the famous Tirano Aguirre who having come all the way from Peru, down the Amazon river up the northern coast of the continent landing in Margarita island declared himself in open rebellion against the Spanish king. Aguirre scornfully referred to the ‘come arepas’ ( meaning the arepa eating Venezuelans) in writing to one of his followers to warn him that they should expect armed resistence from the locals ( the come arepas) on landing in mainland Venezuela .
In my childhood days grinding corn to transform it into corn meal to make into arepas for morning breakfast was a daily ritual. Every home owned a shiny silvery contraption used to grind the corn .
The appearance of the ‘Harina Pan’ conction was initially met with derision because arepas made with it tasted ‘funny’ and ‘unfamiliar’ , then in time Polar improved the recipe and people took to using the harina pan corn meal without complaint . Harina Pan is now one of those food staples that have become scarce and difficult to find in modern day Venezuela and which ironically is easier to find in Florida or Spain than in Venezuela .