Treasures of Colombia: Arepa de Huevo (Colombian Street Food)

“Thou shalt not Judge!” a note to self.

On my first trip to Sincelejo, Colombia (en la costa…on the Coast) in 2015; I saw on almost every street corner and at the University´s gate a popular street food called “Arepa de Huevo”.

Again, Thou shalt not judge! – I kinda “turned up my nose” at the deep fried snack, created on the side of the street in ordinary dutch pots or really blackened, dented frying pans. Little did I know that this round fried dough with an egg in the middle was actually a diamond in the rough.

Treasures of Colombia – Arepa de Huevo (Colombian street food)

BY: Stacey - Ann Smith.

Arepa de Huevo – Arepa filled with egg.

So for a few months, I actually ignored the Arepa de Huevo, until one morning I was really starving and couldn´t stop to prepare breakfast because I was running a bit late.

As a result I decided to stop by the woman at the corner of the street where I lived and I purchased only one because I was sure that it was not tasty enough to buy two.

To my surprise – it literally blew my taste buds away!

Let´s just say, from that day on that Arepa vendor became my best friend; from henceforth, I automatically stopped preparing breakfast and looked forward to buying two Arepa de huevo every morning.

That old blackened frying pan and dented dutch pot became a wonderful sight to behold on the little two burner gas stove at the side of the bus stop each morning.

I must admit, that my heart broke a little every Saturday morning on my way to work because the spot was always empty because my favorite vendor did not work on this day.

AREPA DE HUEVO

The cooking process is not as easy as it seemed; this rounded corn fritter needs to be skillfully prepared. Originally it only has a fried egg within; however, some people add their own spin on it by adding mincemeat (carne moilda) as well.

The Arepa de Huevo is mainly a breakfast snack.

It is mainly seen in the early mornings until about noon after which it is not seen again until the next morning. It was originated on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, but it´s famous throughout the country.

So when on vacation in Colombia – the Arepa de Huevo is a MUST eat!

It is one of my FAVOURITES!

*****

About the writer:

Stacey Ann Smith is from Kingston, Jamaica. She is an alumna of Camperdown High School and she graduated from The Shortwood Teachers’ College having earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Modern Languages, Spanish and French. Presently, Stacey is an English teacher at a University in Colombia. She describes herself as a vivacious and loving person who also has a passion for traveling, taking pictures, her son Nicholas and Ashley, her adorable feline.