Pabellón criollo () is a traditional

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n dish, the local version of the

rice and beans Rice and beans, or beans and rice, is a category of dishes from many cultures around the world, whereby the staple foods of rice and beans are combined in some manner. The grain and legume combination provides several important nutrients and many ...

combination found throughout the Caribbean. It is a plate of rice, shredded

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

in stew and stewed black beans.

Variants

Common additions include '' tajadas'' (fried

plantain Plantain may refer to: Plants and fruits * Cooking banana, banana cultivars in the genus ''Musa'' whose fruits are generally used in cooking ** True plantains, a group of cultivars of the genus ''Musa'' * ''Plantaginaceae'', a family of flowerin ...

slices) or a

fried egg A fried egg, also known as sunny-side up is a cooked dish made from one or more eggs which are removed from their shells and placed into a frying pan and fried. They are traditionally eaten for breakfast in many countries but may also be serv ...

, and both of these variants have acquired slang names. A ''pabellón con barandas'' (''baranda'' is Spanish for

guard rail Guard rail, guardrails, or protective guarding, in general, are a boundary feature and may be a means to prevent or deter access to dangerous or off-limits areas while allowing light and visibility in a greater way than a fence. Common shapes ...

) 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. A ''pabellón a caballo'' (''a caballo'' is Spanish for

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

) means with a fried egg on top, as though the egg were "riding" the dish. 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 A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America fro ...

meat or even freshwater fish depending on the region, time of the year (beef consumption is prohibited by the Roman Catholic Church during

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

; however, capybara and fish are approved) or personal taste.

References

Venezuelan cuisine Latin American rice dishes Legume dishes National dishes {{venezuela-cuisine-stub

Variants

See also

References