Andy’s Final Run, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.
Pictured above is my brother Andy at Empanadas La Negra. He left yesterday afternoon for the USA, but before he said goodbye to Venezuela, he had to get a final “empanada.” The empanada is a popular Venezuelan breakfast food. It is not as popular as the “arepa” which is unique to Venezuela.
The empanada is in the shape of a half circle. It is a corn flour dough wrapped around a variety of fillings. At this particular place, there are 16 different types of fillings. Andy’s favorites are chicken and ham & cheese. There are also meat, fish, spinach, etc. The delicious aspect of the empanada and the reason they are so popular with Venezuelans is they are deep fried in oil. They are a cholesterol raiser! In fresh empanadas, the bag which they are placed, is soaked in excess oil from the flour.
Empanadas La Negra is named after the head chef, “La Negra.” She is a Venezuelan of African descent that is proud of her shop. It is located near the entrance road to the school on the main highway leading out of Anaco. It is a five minute walk from Andy’s house and many mornings he would visit for his daily dosis of grease. The restaurant is very popular with Venezuelans working in the area. There are always oil field workers dressed in their company’s jump suits inside. To accompany an empanada, La Negra offers coffee, soda pop, or malta.
Andy is quite popular wtih the serving ladies. The woman above asked Andy to take her to the USA with him. Andy politely refused the offer, but gave her a big hug and a smile, before he headed out the door with his greasy bag of empanadas.
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