If you’re a foodie, you most likely already know the arepa. If not, this is a great opportunity to fall in love! Once you’ve tried an arepa, there’s no way back; only life before and after it. Now let’s formally invite you to participate in one of the coolest, and most ambitious, global expansion projects of the arepa by P.A.N., the #PANArepaChallenge.
Don’t know what an arepa is? That’s okay! An arepa is a type of food made out of corn maize. This was made popular in northern South America and primarily originates from the cuisines of Venezuela and Colombia.* This is not a history lesson, don’t worry. We are here to celebrate your newly found favorite food. The best part about the arepa is that you can put anything in it! From the simplest ingredients to the most complex, arepas can be anything you want them to be. Think of them as your modern day ‘taste canvas’. Create a work of art and submit it to the #PANArepaChallenge.
*FYI: Both countries claim the origination of the arepa, and that is totally okay, but ONE iconic brand best represents this food: P.A.N. Spoiler alert: P.A.N. is based in Caracas, VE…so….! Until this day, the origin is mysterious, but don’t worry, the origination doesn’t affect your taste buds. And, most importantly, the arepa is now global, so it belongs to el mundo.
How to get involved in the #PANArepaChallenge
Follow @AllofPan on social media and join the #PANArepaChallenge. Enjoy the exciting stories as told by international renown chefs and celebrities. Multicultural variations of the arepa are welcome! (So get your culture’s food in there!) The #PANArepaChallenge is only one of the many events that the All In One P.A.N. is sponsoring.
Here’s Chef Franco Noriega with how to participate:
If you’d like to take notes, see below:
1. Follow @AllofPan on Instagram2. Make a 40 second video with the hashtag #PANArepaChallenge, showing your creative arepa and explain your process3. Tag @AllofPan and send your video to contact@allofpan.com4. Visit allofpan.com for the terms and conditions
The challenge will be evaluated by a creative team from P.A.N. The contest is from October 15-20 and the winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 20th. Éxito! We can’t wait to see, and hopefully taste or try to construct them ourselves, all of the creative entries!
This arepa challenge is part of their first global campaign, ‘All in One P.A.N.’ Other events have already taken place, including: P.A.N. People - recipes curated by famous chefs and ‘Arepas Diaries’ and ‘Global Arepa Makers’ – the two documentaries that highlight restaurants making arepas.
The Arepa Expansion: the sum of all flavors
“We emphasize the importance of cultural fusion. Through collaborations with chefs and personalities, we want to present the corn P.A.N. and the arepa as a versatile product and dish. The expansion of the arepa project promotes, without limitations or cultural barriers, the flavors that define each region in the world. Everybody can coexist through gastronomic fusion,” said Maria Alexandra Mendoza, general manager of P.A.N. Global.