arepa

[uh-rey-puh, ah-re-pah]

noun

1. a Columbian or Venezuelan cornmeal cake, sometimes stuffed with savory fillings.

Word History and Origins

Origin of arepa¹

First recorded in 1920–25; from Carib arepa, erepa “corn, cornmeal, cornmeal cake”

Example Sentences

Beside the park’s lake — which has witnessed more than a few bodies pulled from its murky depths — vendors prepared stuffed arepas for hungry patrons.

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Rather than using bread made from typical wheat flour, arepas are made using corn flour.

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On a recent weekday morning, he sold coffee and arepas to fellow delivery workers from Venezuela and Colombia outside a Chick-fil-A across the road from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena.

Read more on Seattle Times

Other New Yorkers have opened their kitchens so migrant women could make arepas to sell.

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When I was in high school, I would often visit my friend and her mom would — without fail — make arepas.

Read more on Salon