Tequeño is a fried spear of wheat dough stuffed with semi-hard '' queso blanco'' (fresh cheese), and is a popular meal or snack in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. To prepare it, the dough is wrapped around a cheesestick, formed into a breadstick and then fried or sometimes oven-baked. Tequeños can be eaten for breakfast, as an appetizer, or as a

snack A snack is a small portion of Human food, food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including Food packaging, packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at ho ...

at parties and weddings. October 21 is the International Tequeño Day, and it was declared a cultural heritage of Venezuela on April 20 2023. Due to the influx of Venezuelan immigrants in their countries over the past few years, it has become increasingly popular in Spain and Argentina, among other countries. On October 21 2023, in Los Teques, a tequeño of 15.3 m (50.2 ft) was made to commemorate the city's 246th anniversary, beating the previous

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

of 5 m (16.4 ft). The dish required a 18 m fryer and 32 kitchen assistants to prepare it.

Origin

One of the most widely accepted versions is that they were invented by the Báez sisters, who lived in Los Teques, in 1912. They named their improvised creation “quesitos enrollados” (little rolled up cheeses) and started to sell them in the city and, after some time even sold them in Caracas where they gained great popularity. Another version says that some time in the XIX century an affluent family was vacationing in Los Teques, and one of their cooks served them this dish, which they named tequeños in honor of the town. Some believe that it actually dates back to the 1700s in the now gone neighborhood of El Teque in Caracas.

Variations

Traditional tequeños are filled with semi-hard cheese; however, people often make and sell them with many different varieties of fillings. Some of the most popular fillings include: gouda, chocolate, cheese and bocadillo de guayaba, cheese and chocolate,

ricotta Ricotta () is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein h ...

and spinach, cheese and ham, and even chorizo in some markets in Spain. They are also consumed by themselves or accompanied by a dipping sauce. A few variations even have their own names: * ''Tequeñón'', a bigger version of the traditional tequeño. It is offered as a breakfast option in some schools. * ''Tequeyoyos'', believed to have originated in the state of

Zulia Zulia State (, ; Wayuu: ''Mma’ipakat Suuria'') is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo. As of the 2011 census, it has a population of 3,704,404, the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is also one of t ...

, are filled with cheese and ripe plantains. * ''Tequeños de jojoto'', popular in Carabobo and thought to have been invented at a small business in La Entrada, are made with a corn dough similar to that of the

cachapa ''Cachapa'' is a traditional dish made from maize flour from Venezuela. Like '' arepas'', they are popular at roadside stands. They can be made like pancakes of fresh corn dough, or wrapped in dry corn leaves and boiled (''cachapa de hoja''). Th ...

References

Breads Venezuelan cuisine Snack foods {{Venezuela-cuisine-stub

Origin

Variations

See also

References