The Essence of.....Venezuala An exploration of the world through food and drink

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PROFILE In early times the rich and bountiful lands of Venezuela easily sustained the hunter-gatherer nomads occupying the area and archaeological evidence shows that by 2,000 BC, three main tribes namely the Arawaks, Caribs and Chibcha had settled in the coastal and Llanos (plains) regions. Although all of them practiced farming to some extent, the fact that they had an abundance of fish, seafood, wild animals and indigenous fruit and vegetables on their doorsteps meant that full time farming wasn’t essential. However, complicated crop irrigation and agricultural methods were practiced by the Chibcha, the most advanced of the three tribes who lived on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Venezuela's territory covers around 916,445 square kilometres (353,841 sq mi) with an estimated population of 29,105,632. Venezuela is considered a country with extremely high biodiversity, with habitats ranging from the Andes mountains in the west to the Amazon Basin rainforest in the south, via extensive llanos plains and Caribbean coast in the center and the Orinoco River Delta in the east. In 1499, an expedition led by Alonso de Ojeda visited the Venezuelan coast. The stilt houses in the area of Lake Maracaibo reminded the navigator Amerigo Vespucci of the city of Venice, (Italian: Venezia), so he named the region "Venezuela," meaning "little Venice" in Italian. In 1498, during his third voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus sailed near the Orinoco Delta and then landed in the Gulf of Paria. Amazed, Columbus expressed in his moving letter to Isabella and Ferdinand that he had reached the heaven on Earth (the paradise), and confused by the unusual saltiness of the water, he wrote: Great signs are these of the Terrestrial Paradise, for the site conforms to the opinion of the holy and wise theologians whom I have mentioned. And likewise, the [other] signs conform very well, for I have never read or heard of such a large quantity of fresh water being inside and in such close proximity to salt water; the very mild temperateness also corroborates this; and if the water of which I speak does not proceed from Paradise then it is an even greater marvel, because I do not believe such a large and deep river has ever been known to exist in this world. His certainty of having attained Paradise made him name this region Land of Grace, a phrase which has become the country's nickname. The food in Venezuela today is a mixture of African, native Indian and European cuisines which has evolved over the centuries. It also shares many Caribbean influences in its flavours, techniques and ingredients. It is a flavoursome but not necessarily hot cuisine, using ingredients like sweet peppers, garlic, onions and coriander as flavour enhancers. Corn is a staple and is used to make pancakes of one type or another although wheat is also used. Instead of bread, most Venezuelans eat arepas which are fried or baked corn pancakes, either plain or with a filling. Venezuela Food is an assortment of scrumptious dishes that are authentic to Venezuela. The traditional food of Venezuela consists of premium quality fish and shellfish. Most of the Venezuela native food contains a marine flavor. The national dish of Venezuela is 'pabellon', which is composed of stewed and shredded meat together with rice, black beans and banana.