My nine year old daughter was recently assigned a family heritage project in her Social Studies Class this past week.
Part of her assignment is to bring food indigenous to her families roots on international heritage day for her classmates and teachers to sample. The only caveat was that the food had to be store bought (not homemade).
My daughter is half Venezuelan (on her Mom's side) so naturally I Googled Venezuelan Cuisine for Wake County NC.
I found a restaurant in Raleigh, on Lake Boone Trail across the street from Rex Hospital called Guasaca. They advertise one of Venezuela's popular street dishes called an arepa.
An arepa is a corn based flour made into a patty and grilled on both sides until it is lightly browned. It is cut in half like a pita and stuffed with different meats prepared in traditional Venezuelan fashion.
Guasaca advertises their food is made from scratch with only fresh ingredients everyday. I can guarantee that was the case on the day I visited.
The meat you choose is added to the arepa and topped with black beans, sautéed onions and comes with a side of Guasaca, sauce which is a style of guacamole done Venezuelan style.
These little baby's are so scrumptious and savory I was compelled to eat two.
Being a fan of all Latin culture to include the food, I was delighted at the explosion of taste bursting in my mouth. The Pork, Chicken, Steak or Pulled Beef fillings are moist and seasoned perfectly, flavor and texture remaining in tact, delicious and fresh until served.
The black beans and onions add to the layer of flavors. Finally, the Guasaca sauce, chunk avocado and diced tomatoes topped with fresh lime juice make for a light, tropical delightful sauce to dip, smear or just plain eat alone as a side.
Needless to say I worked out a deal with the owner to provide samples of the Venezuelan dish for my child's international heritage day. I can also guarantee I will be returning to Guasaca for many more visits. I look forward to brining friends and family along so they too can sample this trpocial Venezuelan inspired dish.
I hope you check out Guasaca too. When you do, say hello to Elly the owner for me.
Bon Appetit...
