Arepas

Each country in the Spanish-speaking world has a distinct comfort food. Colombians consider arepas their bread, which is part of their daily life and an essential part of their culture. The sixth graders had previously watched the movie Encanto and loved it! When Maestra Ivonne saw the movie, the meaningful scene where Mirabel is healed by eating one of her mother’s homemade arepas stood out to her. Therefore, she was inspired to share with the students a glimpse of Colombian culture, which is another Spanish-speaking country.  

The sixth graders made their own cheese arepas following the directions Maestra Ivonne gave them in Spanish. They combined cornmeal with warm water and used their hands to make dough (masa). They divided the masa into 3 or 4 patties using both hands to ensure the disks were uniform. Then, students cooked the arepas for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until nice and brown. Finally, they removed the arepas from the heat to add guacamole, which the sixth graders had made fresh that day in class.

The sixth graders enjoyed their arepas and are fantastic chefs!