10 things I love about venezuela

Vitelio Reyes, executive chef of Mayfair restaurant Amazónico, tells us what makes the food of his homeland so special

- Vitelio Reyes

Born in Caracas, Vitelio Reyes trained in Venezuela and has worked in North and South America, Europe and Asia. He has worked with Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz at Lima Floral in Covent Garden and is now executive chef of Amazónico in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square, a restaurant that takes its inspiration from the cultural diversity and gastronomic heritage of the Amazon region. On the new menu dishes include salteados (sautéed), a nod to Chifa, the combination of Chinese and Peruvian flavours such as ginger, coriander and lemongrass, tiradito, meat grilled on a parilla and empanadas. amazonicorestaurant.com/london

1 Corn

As with many other diets in South America, our main ingredient for several national dishes is corn. With corn we make Venezuelan arepas (arepa comes from the aborigine language and translates as “bread made with hands”), which can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and filled with anything you can imagine. From seafood salad to carne mechada – which is the Latin American version of a beef ragu – arepas are the staple street food of my country.

2 Chicharrónes

Chicharrónes (pork rinds) are well known everywhere in the world by different names but, regardless, everyone loves them. They are part of our daily diet, as are many other pork cuts. Chicharrónes are our version of national tapa, which you are given in a bar when you order a round of drinks. They are also a great companion on the road going to the beach – I remember in many instances going to the beach with my father, making a pit stop to order a chicharrón mixto per kilo, before arriving at the beach and enjoying them as part of our light lunch menu.