MEDELL脥N, Colombia 鈥� A heated and long-standing rivalry simmers between neighbors Colombia and Venezuela 鈥� not over politics, migration or even soccer, but over the humble arepa.
The round cornbread delight, a staple of both South American countries, appears everywhere from breakfast plates to late-night snacks, woven deeply into the fabric of each nation. Ingrained into everyday slang and popular culture, the arepa is much more than a meal.
But ask a Colombian or a Venezuelan who does it best 鈥� or where it originated 鈥� and you鈥檒l find yourself caught in a culinary clash that transcends borders.
鈥淓veryone defends their territory,鈥� said Gustavo Zapata, 39, a chef at the Sancho Paisa restaurant chain, which is known for its traditional Colombian arepas in Medell铆n, the country鈥檚 second-largest city.
The arepa debate mirrors other food fights around the world. Peruvians and Ecuadorians argue over ceviche. Israelis and Lebanese have wrestled over hummus. Multiple Northern African countries lay claim to couscous. Australians and New Zealanders have feuded over pavlova, a meringue-based dessert topped with fruit.
But culinary disputes also have serious undertones. President Nicol谩s Maduro of Venezuela, for example, has tried to use arepas as a nationalist rallying point, if not a political tool, claiming the food is from his country alone. And as millions of Venezuelans have migrated over the years because of the country鈥檚 economic and political crisis, they have brought their version with them around the globe, further stoking the great arepa battle.
鈥淚 used to think only we ate arepas,鈥� Jes煤s S谩nchez, 34, an owner of a Venezuelan restaurant chain in Medell铆n named Los Chamos, referring to Venezuelans. He realized otherwise when he started visiting Colombia 10 years ago. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very different.鈥�
Arepas have been eaten for thousands of years, said Ocarina Castillo, 72, an anthropology professor who studies food at the Central University of Venezuela.
When Spanish conquistadors explored northern South America in the 15th and 16th centuries, they encountered Indigenous people eating the corn cakes. The Spanish adapted them, Castillo said, eventually transforming the word 鈥渆repa鈥� from the language of the Cumanagoto people, who lived in what is modern-day northern and eastern Venezuela, into 鈥渁repa.鈥� Other Indigenous groups ate something similar but gave it a different name.
Centuries ago, Castillo said, the borders we know today didn鈥檛 exist, and people moved freely.
鈥淲e lose that perspective,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd that鈥檚 why we insist on giving a homeland to arepas.鈥�
With some shared history and culture, along with a 1,400-mile border, Colombia and Venezuela have been, at times, allies or rivals. (In the 1800s, they were even briefly part of the same republic, called Gran Colombia.)
Since Venezuela slid into autocracy under Maduro, roughly a quarter of its population has left, almost 8 million people since 2014, according to the United Nations.
More than 3 million Venezuelans have ended up in Colombia, a country of 53 million where the mixing of cultures has made the arepa debate more prevalent than ever.
Arepas in Colombia often accompany a dish, such as meat or soup, and can have a topping or occasionally a filling. But in Venezuela, they are an entire meal 鈥� large and stuffed with different fillings, from cheese to plantains to beef. In Colombia, arepas vary by region, while in Venezuela there are several varieties that are popular nationwide.
Then there is texture: Colombian arepas tend to be crunchier, whereas Venezuelan arepas are usually softer. In Colombia, people often buy their arepas from stores, while Venezuelans consider that sacrilegious because they are accustomed to making them at home.
Another difference?
鈥淭he Venezuelan arepa is made from corn flour, and we use the corn itself,鈥� explained Andr茅s Giraldo Rueda, 35, a manager at a Sancho Paisa restaurant in Medell铆n. 鈥淐orn flour is easy to conserve and transport, so they can take it to all over.鈥�
Giraldo鈥檚 restaurant, which also has a store, offers 14 types of arepas 鈥� white corn, yellow corn, corn treated with ash, with cheese mixed into the masa 鈥� and sells thousands of arepas every day.
On a recent morning, nearly every customer was eating an arepa, either with eggs or cheese or chicharr贸n (fried pork).
The answer to who is winning the arepa war depends on whom you ask. Castillo, the professor, said Venezuela was in the lead because of its vast diaspora across the world.
(Venezuelan arepas even reached the White House last year.)
鈥淎re there Colombian arepa shops outside of Colombia?鈥� said S谩nchez, who moved with his family to Medell铆n years ago. They started selling Venezuelan arepas from a street cart in 2015, and it has blossomed into four restaurants with 40 employees, nearly all of them Venezuelan.
Juan Manuel Barrientos, 41, a Colombian chef who has earned two Michelin stars and has restaurants in Colombia, Miami and Washington, said the arepa contest was tied because of his country鈥檚 growing status as a destination.
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鈥淲e have fed arepas to a lot of tourists in the past 10, 15 years,鈥� he said.
(Colombian arepas even appeared in the Disney movie 鈥淓ncanto.鈥�)
This year, though, Maduro, the authoritarian leader who has been in power since 2013, declared a winner: In a slickly produced video posted on his social media accounts, he proclaimed arepas as Venezuelan.
鈥淥ne thing is to eat the arepa 鈥� and arepas should be eaten wherever you want,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut another thing is not to know that the arepa is?鈥� The crowd answered: 鈥淰enezuelan.鈥�
Maduro said his government had begun preparing an application to UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, to give Venezuelan arepas a global cultural heritage designation.
On social media, the arepa rivalry has sparked fervent discussion and countless videos, and has even been the butt of jokes.
Angelo Colina, a Venezuelan comedian, became a social media hit in 2021 when he wrote that he thought he had COVID because the arepa he was eating had no taste. He joked that he then realized the restaurant was Colombian, which, as expected, provoked fiery responses.
鈥淭he Colombians roasted me, and I honestly deserved it,鈥� he later said.
One arepa stand 鈥� in Rotterdam, Netherlands, of all places 鈥� may provide the best illustration of the current arepa rankings.
Diego Mendoza, the owner, left Venezuela in 2015 for better opportunities thanks to his Spanish passport, which he had because his grandfather emigrated from Spain.
After working a corporate job in Barcelona, Spain, then in Poland and later in Rotterdam, Mendoza, 32, missed home and Venezuelan food. So he started making and selling arepas at weekly outdoor markets, slowly perfecting his family鈥檚 recipe.
鈥淲e are everywhere, but so are Colombians,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut because of all that we鈥檙e going through, the tragedy, we give much more importance to the arepa than Colombians.鈥�
In May 2023, Mendoza opened his permanent spot, named Erikucha Arepera, at a large popular market in Rotterdam.
Because Colombia is easier to visit than Venezuela 鈥� and despite a Venezuelan flag displayed at his stand 鈥� he said many Dutch customers have referred to the arepas as Colombian because they recognize them from their travels. He then explains that arepas are also Venezuelan.
Mendoza, who has a tattoo on his arm of an arepa with the stars of the Venezuelan flag, isn鈥檛 bothered by the confusion or the arepa rivalry. He doesn鈥檛 think something so yummy should divide. In fact, it should unite.
鈥淭he truth is it doesn鈥檛 matter if they鈥檙e Colombian or whatever,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat I know is that the arepa should belong to the world.鈥�
This article originally appeared in . 漏 2024 The New York Times
