Pabellón criollo

Pabellón criollo (Spanish pronunciation: [paβeˈʝoŋ ˈkɾjo.ʝo]) is a traditional Venezuelan dish that is considered the national dish. It mixes elements from the three different cultures that intermixed during Spanish colonial times: Native Americans, Spanish and Africans. The name is a synonym to flag, since it was one of the main original associations. It is a plate of rice, shredded beef in stew and stewed black beans.^[1]

Pabellón criollo

Pabellón criollo, this is the pabellón con tajadas variation (has fried plantain slices).
Course	Meal
Place of origin	Venezuela
Region or state	Latin America
Cooking time	40 minutes
Main ingredients	rice and beans, shredded beef in stew and stewed
Media: Pabellón criollo

Black beans with grated cheese, shredded meat, slices of plantain and rice

Variants

Common additions include tajadas (fried plantain slices) or a fried egg, and both of these variants have acquired slang names. A pabellón con barandas (baranda is Spanish for guard rail) is served with tajadas because the long plantain slices placed on the sides are humorously considered to be keeping the food from falling off from the plate.^[2] A pabellón a caballo means with a fried egg on top, as though the egg were "riding" the dish ("a caballo" is Spanish for "on horseback"). Besides these two main variants, people also add other things to the dish such as granulated sugar on the beans, Queso Palmita over the beans or hot sauce over the meat.

The shredded beef can be replaced by chigüire, shredded caiman meat or even freshwater fish depending on the region, time of the year (beef consumption is prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church during Lent; however, capybara and fish are approved) or personal taste.^[3]

See also

• Food portal

• Arroz con gandules - similar dish in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic
• Platillo Moros y Cristianos - similar dish in Cuba and Dominican Republic named as Arroz Blanco con habichuelas negras (White Rice and Black Beans).

• Ropa vieja - Beef component of the dish is also popular in Cuba

• Gallo Pinto - similar dish in Nicaragua and Costa Rica

• Hoppin' John - similar dish in the Southern United States

• Rice and peas - similar dish in Jamaica
• List of rice dishes