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Brett McCartney

Nutrition 110

Professor Evans

23 February 2021

Venezuelan Diet

I chose to read about Venezuela because I do not know much about their traditions.

Venezuela is located in South America, and this country’s cuisine is significantly influenced by

Spain, France, India, and the Dutch Caribbean. A few things that stood out when I read the

article included Venezuela’s cuisine and how this country’s past has impacted the food available

to them today. To begin, different regions of Venezuela eat different types of food.

Because Venezuela is a Latin American country, it should come as no surprise that their

cuisine generally consists of corn and beans. Popular dishes such as arepas and cachapas are

similar to cornbread and a corn pancake, respectively. If you live in the eastern region of

Venezuela, the food is simple, fresh, and full of different spices. Common foods eaten in this

region include ripe tomatoes, fresh blood sausage, creole chorizos, and sweet native chilis. On

the other hand, the population living in the northwestern part of the country commonly eat deep-

fried plantains covered with various toppings- carrots, beef, chicken, or a dressing. In the Andean

region of Venezuela, individuals eat lots of soup due to the cold climate that exists there.

Southern Venezuelans eat lots of fish because in this region, many large rivers filled with fish

exist. However, Venezuela encounters several obstacles in producing food.

The article mentions that Venezuela consistently experiences “... political, social, and

economic chaos.” As a result, food security severely affects households and this causes citizens

to experience food shortages. Food is often scarce and too expensive in many regions of
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Venezuela. Currently, Venezuelans are changing recipes for meals in order to accommodate for

the food that is unavailable. One popular food in particular, arepas, are made with corn flour.

Because corn flour is becoming increasingly more and more scarce, Venezuelans are being

forced to make arepas with pumpkins, carrots, spinach, and other substitutes. Food availability is

clearly threatening Venezuela, a country with a unique cuisine.

Not only is the cuisine different from that of the United States, but Venezuela’s

economic status also restricts them from producing food like the United States does. Because

Venezuela’s cuisine consists of more vegetables and fresh food than American cuisine,

Venezuela likely eats healthier. However, Americans are able to eat more and avoid

malnourishment because overall, the United States is economically superior to Venezuela. All in

all, I enjoyed reading the article on Venezuelan cuisine since it opened my eyes to what another

country eats.