Whether you’re a fan of food, Latin America, or both, you’ll quickly discover there’s so much to try in Venezuelan cuisine. From savory to sweet, and filling breakfast staples to full-on meals, here are five must-try dishes that will pamper your taste buds and become your new favorites!

1. Pabellón Criollo — The Most Traditional Venezuelan Dish

When it comes to Venezuelan signature dishes, you simply can’t miss Pabellón Criollo. Made from pulled beef, white rice, and black beans, this meal can be served in a number of ways. Most commonly with potatoes (like it is in the picture above) or with fried eggs on top (called Pabellón a Caballo).

2. Arepas — Delicious and Flavorsome

If you ask any Venezuelan about their favorite traditional snack, it’s likely that most will answer arepas. These small corn flour pitas are so versatile that they can be served with a dizzying number of fillings. Depending on how adventurous the cook is, arepas can be filled with pulled pork, beans, eggs, cheese, rice, veggies, and so much more. Not to mention sauces and spices! Perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, arepas will steal your heart!

3. Cachapas — Venezuela’s Version of Pancakes

Similar to arepas, cachapas are often dubbed Venezuelan pancakes. Made from corn or cornmeal, these have sugar added to the batter (unlike arepas) and are most traditionally paired with a filling of queso blanco (like in the image above). Slightly sweet and perfectly delicious, this meal and its ingredients are a match made in heaven.

4. Cachitos — Croissants With a Twist

Filled with cheese and ham, these buttery crescent rolls are sort of like the Venezuelan version of French croissants. Cachitos have the perfect blend of crispiness on the outside and a chewy softness on the inside that makes them a must-try for everyone. In Venezuela, they are most commonly eaten for breakfast with coffee or some orange juice, but you’ll probably want to have them all day long as soon as you try them!

5. Mondoca — Donuts Meet Pretzels

You can’t go exploring Venezuelan cuisine without trying mondoca. These are basically donuts shaped like pretzels made from cornmeal and plantains. You can dip them in butter, queso fresco, or another salty option to bring a kick to the otherwise sweet mondoca. They are typically a breakfast meal because they’re quite filling, and it’s best to eat them while they’re still warm.

There’s nothing better than chowing down on some delicious ice cream in the summer, right? Well, we’re here to show you that actually, there is something better than chowing down on delicious ice cream in the summer. That’s because we’re going to share a recipe that will change the ice cream game forever. After all, everything’s better when it’s fried, and that’s no different when it comes to fried ice cream…

What You’ll Need

To make this fried ice cream recipe, you’ll need a few ingredients – but don’t worry, you won’t need to head to the grocery store to stock up on things you’ll only use for this dish and never again. Simply raid your freezer for a pint of ice cream of your choice, and raid your pantry for 1 ½ teaspoon of butter, 1 ¼ cup of crushed corn cereal, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar. For your garnishes, you’ll need whipped cream, sprinkles, and some yummy maraschino cherries.

The Method

Once you have all of your ingredients ready, you’re going to want to place four scoops of ice cream onto a piece of parchment paper and immediately place it in the freezer for around 30 minutes. During this time, you can melt the butter and add the corn cereal and the cinnamon into a pot. Once it’s golden, remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Then, let it cool. After the 30 minutes is up, take the ice cream scoops out of the freezer and roll the balls into the cereal mixture. Then, top with the whipped cream, sprinkles, and cherries, and voila! Of course, you might want to eat these bad boys pretty quickly, as nobody likes a melted ice cream.

It’s important to realize that this fried ice cream treat isn’t really fried. We can’t imagine that dipping ice cream balls into oil is good for anyone, but this recipe certainly is.