Corn Griddle Cakes with Cheese
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Pre-cooked maize flour (masarepa) — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Warm water — 500 ml (2 cups)
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
- Soft white cheese, grated — 150 g (5.3 oz)
- Butter or oil for cooking — 2 tbsp
Method
- Combine the maize flour and salt in a bowl.
- Gradually work in the warm water to form a smooth, soft dough.
- Knead in the grated cheese until evenly distributed.
- Divide into balls and flatten into small rounds about 1 cm thick.
- Cook on a hot, lightly greased griddle for 5-6 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.
Introduction: Simple griddle cakes of ground maize filled with cheese, a breakfast staple carried forward from indigenous cooking into the colonial household.
Cultural Background: Maize remained the essential grain of daily life across much of colonial Latin America even as Old World wheat, cattle, and dairy arrived with Spanish and Portuguese settlers, and dishes like arepas show the two traditions combining, indigenous corn paired with imported cheese.
Tips: Keep the dough moist while shaping — it should hold together without cracking at the edges.
Variations: A little sugar can be added to the dough for a lightly sweet version.
Nutrition: Approx. 260 kcal per serving.
FAQs:
Q: How old is this dish?
A: Maize cakes of this kind predate European contact; the addition of cheese reflects the fusion that developed once colonial dairy farming was established.
Q: Can these be filled after cooking instead?
A: Yes, some versions are split open after cooking and filled, rather than having the cheese kneaded directly into the dough.
- Pre-cooked maize flour (masarepa) — 300 g (10.6 oz)
- Warm water — 500 ml (2 cups)
- Salt — 1/2 tsp
- Soft white cheese, grated — 150 g (5.3 oz)
- Butter or oil for cooking — 2 tbsp
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