arepa

noun

are·​pa ə-ˈrā-pə How to pronounce arepa (audio)
: a usually grilled cornmeal cake served in Latin American cuisine

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web To serve, plate each arepa and top with a spoonful of the tomato and avocado salad, the crumbled quesito and cilantro leaves. Janelle Bitker, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 July 2021 Colombia's national dish, bandeja paisa, $12.95, is a hearty platter of meats, beans and rice, often layered with an avocado and a corn cake called an arepa. Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 1 Aug. 2021 Other wamakhaskan dishes were served: a puck of duck sausage, with watercress purée and roasted turnips; ground elk, served on a pillowy corn arepa; and a maple-chili cricket-and-seed mix. Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 12 Sep. 2022 Claim a picnic table on the boardwalk, then order a piping hot Venezuelan arepa, split open and stuffed to the brim with ripe avocado and hunks of Guayanés cheese. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 24 Aug. 2022 The arepa is stuffed to the brim, engorging like a baseball with its stitching split open, the cheese and braising juice seeping into the fluffy cooked cornmeal. Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 July 2022 On the Colombian coast, locals fry an arepa with an egg inside, Osorio said. CNN, 27 Apr. 2022 New to its menu: The traditional Queen arepa, or reina pepiada, chilled chicken salad with creamy avocado. Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 May 2022 While the film's themes are based on family and love, its foundations are rooted in Colombian culture, which includes spotlighting the arepa as an essential part of its cuisine. CNN, 27 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'arepa.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish, probably from Cumaná (Cariban language of the Venezuela coast) erepa corn, cornmeal cake, or from a cognate Cariban form

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arepa was in 1810

Dictionary Entries Near arepa

Cite this Entry

“Arepa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arepa. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.

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