Using genes from coffee plants around the world, researchers built a family tree for the world’s most popular type of coffee, known to scientists as Coffea arabica and to coffee lovers simply as “arabica.”

The researchers, hoping to learn more about the plants to better protect them from pests and climate change, found that the species emerged around 600,000 years ago through natural crossbreeding of two other coffee species.

“In other words, prior to any intervention from man,” said Victor Albert, a biologist at the University at Buffalo who co-led the study.

These wild coffee plants originated in Ethiopia but are thought to have been first roasted and brewed primarily in Yemen starting in the 1400s. In the 1600s, Indian monk Baba Budan is fabled to have smuggled seven raw coffee beans back to his homeland from Yemen, laying the foundation for coffee’s global takeover.

Arabica coffee, prized for its smooth and relatively sweet flavor, now makes up 60% – 70% of the global coffee market and is brewed by brands such as Starbucks, Tim Horton’s and Dunkin’. The rest is robusta, a stronger and more bitter coffee made from one of arabica’s parents, Coffea canephora.

To piece together arabica coffee’s past, researchers studied genomes of C. canephora, another parent called Coffea eugenioides, and more than 30 different arabica plants, including a sample from the 1700s — courtesy of the Natural History Museum in London — that Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus used to name the plant.

The study was published Monday in the journal Nature Genetics. Researchers from Nestlé, which owns several coffee brands, contributed to the study.

The arabica plant’s population fluctuated over thousands of years before humans began cultivating it, flourishing during warm, wet periods and suffering through dry ones. These lean times created so-called population bottlenecks, when only a small number of genetically similar plants survived.

Today, that renders arabica coffee plants more vulnerable to diseases like coffee leaf rust, which cause billions of dollars in losses every year. The researchers explored the makeup of one arabica variety that is resistant to coffee leaf rust, highlighting sections of its genetic code that could help protect the plant.

The study clarifies how arabica came to be and spotlights clues that could help safeguard the crop, said Fabian Echeverria, an adviser for the Center for Coffee Research and Education at Texas A&M University who was not involved with the research.

Exploring arabica’s past and present could yield insight into keeping coffee plants healthy – and coffee cups full – for future early mornings.

—-

The post Your morning coffee may be more than a half million years old appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

Tequila is the main alcohol in all Margaritas but some people like to use frozen strawberries and limeade concentrate to conceal the taste of the tequila. One of the country’s foremost cocktail historians, David Wondrich says the Margarita is a version of the Daisy cocktail (in Spanish: Margarita) and that margaritas often have a higher liquor ratio so they can be a dangerous cocktail if you’re drinking without eating.

These are some facts or myths told on days like National Margarita Day. But the real deal is margaritas are cocktails with flowery finesse.

Barcello restaurant, located at 11603 US Highway 1 in North Palm Beach is experimenting with new ingredients and flavor combinations to bring you an even better agave cocktail.

Mixologist Micah Hinde has created Hibiscus Margarita with Black Sea Salt, a cocktail deep red in color with floral notes and a subtle bite of ginger. A squeeze of fresh lime helps to brighten all the flavors.

For this rendition of the famous magic combo of sweet, sour and tequila dumped into a salt-rimmed glass, Hinde uses Cimarron Blanco Tequila, broVo Orange Curacao, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, fresh lime juice, agave, and salts the rim of the glass with Himalayan Black Salt creating a bold flavor.

This cocktail is a true game-changer and a fun twist on the traditional Margarita.

And the good thing is the cocktail is available every day from their signature cocktail list.

—

The post Hibiscus Margarita with Black Sea Salt: a True Game-changer appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

Besides the recent Super Bowl (though Miami has hosted it 11 times) this city is a destination for myriad annual events like the Miami International Boat Show, Ultra Music, and the South Beach Wine and Food Festival just to mention a few. These events draw huge crowds that are treated to excellent cuisines from all over the world.

When people visit Miami they can enjoy a ton of fantastic restaurants ranging from high-end steakhouses to fast-casual spots, and an eatery for every budget.

Wind our way through the city devouring everything from doner kebab (a popular Berlin street food that has made its way to Miami) to frita cubana (Cuba’s flavorful version of the great American hamburger) to matcha pastelito (a tasty blend of Cuban and Japanese cuisine).

This story is a part of the GreatBigStory’s Flavors series. Dive into deliciously different and tastefully off-beat stories in the culinary world en enjoy 5 of the best street food finds in Miami, a city that has an exciting food scene like no other in the country.

Follow the GreatBigStory’s behind-the-scenes on Instagram at http://goo.gl/2KABeX and find more stories today at http://www.greatbigstory.com

—

5 of the Best Street Food Finds in Miami

The post Five of the Best Street Food Finds in Miami appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

So what sauces should you be aware of in the great Sunshine State?

Stone crab mustard sauce
You truly haven’t lived until you’ve had stone crabs at the iconic Joe’s Stone Crabs in Miami. Stone crabs give Florida total bragging rights. And Joe’s does them so well, serving them chilled with that cravable mustard sauce that has set the bar very high for other restaurants that serve the delicacy of stone crabs when they’re in season.

Men P’aw Gourmet hot sauces
The beautiful country of Haiti has left a permanent and delicious mark in the Floridian foodie world. It brings a hot smoky habanero flavor to your dishes from your chicken dinner to your breakfast omelet.

The company Florida Keys Hot Sauce makes more than just incredible hot sauce. They make some of the best steak sauces around. You haven’t truly grilled out until you’ve had a barbecue Floridian style. Glades Gator Steak Sauce, Key Lime Margarita Grilling Sauce and Pirate’s Potion Steak Sauce are all great ways to make your meat really sizzle. Another great one to try is Mile Marker 0, named for the end of US-1 in Key West. It’s great for everything from grilling to stir-fry!

Floribbean sauces
When Florida meets the Caribbean, you get Floribbean, which lies somewhere in the middle. Try Goombay Mango BBQ sauce by Floribbean Flo’s, a sweet and tangy way to make your next barbecue rock. Or try their Key Lime Mustard, which is mustard with a delightful key lime flavor. Use it on sandwiches, as a dip, as a marinade, or however you wish to celebrate the lack of a real winter. The northerners can have that snow. We’ll take our grill and flip-flips, thankyouverymuch.

Datil pepper sauce
St. Augustine is one of the most historic places in all of America, giving Florida even more to brag about. And we can keep on bragging because in this city where Ponce De Leon’s fountain of youth is located, we’ve got the most datil peppers anywhere around. And from that, a ton of datil pepper sauces were born. It’s an orange-yellow pepper that’s similar to a habanero except that it’s sweeter and fruitier. Try it on basically anything though it is pure heaven with seafood. Yum!

Everglades seasoning
Okay, so this one is technically not a sauce, but it is EVERYTHING you need to be totally Floridian. Or to bring the perfect taste of Florida back to wherever you happen to be visiting from. Everglades All Purpose Seasoning is a spice mix that goes great on anything and everything. Popcorn, steaks…even your own arm. It is pure heaven on any meat and serves to tenderize it too. You’ve got to try it to believe it. They even say so in their slogan: Tasting is believing. Florida wins again. Believe it.

In short, never overlook the importance of sauce. It is, after all, one of the biggest players in maximizing flavor in your food.

The post Some Very Popular Sauces You Can Use Today appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

The high ceilings and open seating are inviting with bright yellow walls and unusual hanging thick ropes knotted with lights. A vintage pinball and Pac Man machine in a back corner is a fun diversion for kids. Pale wood accents the sides of the counters and walls.

The menu concept is this: house-made from scratch ramen noodles in a rich broth served with an array of toppings. There’s pork chashu, seasoned poached egg, scallions, mushrooms. A Miso ramen has chicken broth, egg, miso, corn and a choice of pork belly, Korean short ribs, or veggies.

The Vegan Ramen has veggie broth and thick pieces of bok choy, roasted cauliflower, beansprouts, corn, mushrooms, inari and soft tofu, hearty enough to fill no-meat eaters.

There’s a seafood option that is akin to a Thai soup with spicy lemongrass Tom Yum broth with calamari, scallops and king prawns.

I tried the 5 Spices Duck Ramen with bean sprouts, some tender baby bok choy, garlic oil and cilantro. The duck breast was sliced into thick pieces, tender and rich tasting with the garlicky broth. I added a few shots of chili paste to give it a jolt and it hit the spot. They serve it with a large ladle type spoon and a fork if you ask so you can spear and swirl and slurp as you like.

Next time’s I’ll try one of the Poke Bowls with tuna or salmon that comes with spicy krab, seaweed salad, edamame (soy beans) and pickled ginger. A Morikami Salad Bowl offers chicken tuna or tofu with kale, romaine, tomatoes and mushrooms with sesame dressing.

If bowls aren’t your thing, they offer plates with crispy chicken or pork or marinated beef served with a variety of sides like grilled omelets, caramelized onions and even kimchee – a pickled Korean dish made with vegetables, usually cabbage.

A fun selection of Asian tapas brings it with shelled edamame, steamed Bao Bros Buns filled with chicken, pork belly, mushrooms or Korean beef with kimchee.

Dumplings are made fresh daily with choices of vegetables, lobster and shrimp, pork, steak or chicken. And there’s a full bar selection of sakes and beers from Japan as well as brews from Florida breweries.

At the back of the Ramen Lab Eatery in Delray Beach is an unusual sweets counter called Sugar Milk Boba & Dessert Bar. The menu walks you through it – first you choose a base — a milk tea, classic tea, Cheese tea (?!), Tea Freshers or a Slush. Then you choose a flavor and there are lots of them like Lavender, Honey Dew, Thai, Green Tea Lemonade, Rose Tea, Taro, Coconut, Oreo and Butterfly Pea Tea. Some need explanation, some don’t. Go ahead and ask lots of questions, they’re used to it.

Then you can choose “toppings” although these sink to the bottom – Boba, mini Boba, Grass Jelly or Bursting Boba. Boba is a Taiwanese tea based drink that sprang to worldwide weird popularity in the 1980s. The tea you choose is flavored and sweet and has bubble pearls, like a tapioca but the size of a bean, floating in the bottom. It’s like having a jelly bean gummy treat lying in wait after you ingest all the sweet milky tea flavor. Very weird but strangely addictive, and you suck the boba up through an oversized straw then pop it in your mouth to get the burst of flavor.

I tried some samples of the other desserts, the green soft serve tea with chocolate syrup, fruity pebbles, whipped cream and bubble waffle. The soft serve was cold and creamy like an ice cream, the pebbles added some crunch, and then the waffle was fun to dip and scoop up all the syrup with. It had lots of textures – cold, creamy, crunchy, sweet, chewy, but for adults it may be a bit too much sweetness.

I also tried a drink made with Ovaltine flavor and Cheesecake cream on ice. Like a super sweet chocolate shake with some slightly tart cheese cream added on. Again an unusual taste treat but overload on the sugar.

This Ramen Lab Eatery in Delray Beach is good for kids with all the games and sweet treats, but also for adults as they can tailor their meal to be vegan, locally sourced, light and healthy. A variety of seating options from long high tops to smaller tables makes it good for groups or solo diners.

The ramen has come a long way from a staple of college kids eating on the cheap. It’s now a sophisticated upscale meal and Delray’s Ramen Lab Eatery is leading the way.

The restaurant was open and owned by an energetic young food entrepreneur, Louis Grayson, who also happens to have other ventures in Palm Beach County—in Boca Raton and West Palm Beach.

If you visit, Ramen Lab Eatery is located at 25 NE 2nd Ave, Delray Beach, 33444. Visit their website ramenlabeatery.com for more information about their services and menu or follow their Instagram stories @Ramenlabeatery.

—

The post Ramen Lab Eatery Experiments in Taste at a Prime Location in Delray Beach appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

The restaurant sits on a corner of S. Federal Hwy off The New River Tunnel, officially known as the Henry E. Kinney Tunnel. It is a fine dining Italian restaurant owned by Chef Giovanni Rocchio whose increasingly innovative venture took him to open One Door East, which gets its name from being literally one door east of Valentino and focuses on tapas and influences of Japanese, Spanish, and Moroccan cuisines.

I fell in love with the place while sitting at Valentino’s bar that opens into the kitchen and sipping on a citrusy herb Gia cocktail—made with Ketel One Vodka, Lemoncello and Basil.

It’s such a dream come true. The kitchen opens up to the bar in an elegant refined surrounding that includes plush velvet booths and chicly decorated tables with colossal views of US Federal Highway for both, large and small parties. There, “Chef Gio” – as chef/owner Giovanni Rocchio graciously asked to me call him – is the star of the night, preparing food nonstop, making salad combinations, talking to patrons at the bar.

Rocchio’s father, Tony, opened the original Valentino in a nearby South Florida suburb in 1974 and that is where the young Giovanni learned basic culinary skills and the dexterity needed to run a restaurant efficiently. His concept of using fresh, high quality ingredients, providing consistent plates and high quality service became ingrained to his Valentino restaurant.

Watching him and his crisply dressed crew work in the open kitchen is a lesson of high energy, high quality service. Saucepans are expertly flipped, giant prawns are treated like royalty in roasting pans, pasta dishes are delicately swirled on tongs before being plated to perfection. It’s a mad dance against time and temperature so that everything comes together just right. Chef Giovanni fusses with sauce in a mixer while keeping an eye on every plate that goes to the servers, yet finding time to chat with diners at the bar inquiring about a dish or a technique.

After my cocktail and some crusty Italian bread with olive oil, I ordered a dish of charred octopus with cranberry beans, fennel, tomatoes and chili sauce. This really is a pescatarian delight; all black and purple tentacles and fragrant aromas.

Octopus can be chewy, but this roasted burnished dish was meltingly delicious, paired with piquant sauce and the slight crunch of the beans. My companion ordered a tomato salad which was rich and tangy with chunks of fresh cut plum and yellow varieties, adorned with thin slices of toasted parmesan cheese. While we relished over a friendly talk with Chef Giovanni, a small taste of salmon mousse topped with red caviar and croutons was served, creamy and crunchy with a pleasant pop of the salty fish eggs.

Beyond the kitchen and high topped bar, the restaurant oozes luxury, with crisp white linen tables and elegant booths with slip covered chairs. It was Chef Giovanni’s suggestion to also try One Door East, a tempting new culinary experience with influences of different exotic cuisines, right next door.

Voalá!

Moving from Valentino Cucina Italiana to One Door East is the shortest ‘dining’ step ever as they are located adjacent to each other. There’s noticeably different crowds, different concepts, yet genuinely achieved.

Compared to the light infused luxury of Valentino, One Door East is all dark woods and edgy murals of race car drivers and abstract figures. There’s also a lively bar scene and once again you can watch the chefs at work.

While Chef Giovanni Rocchi oversees both restaurants, the nightly cooking here is done by Albert Diaz who has serious chef chops under his belt from previous gigs at Ritz Carlton and Aqualina restaurants. Chef Diaz has a particular passion for Japanese food he learned in London’s Zuma flagship restaurant, and that is infused in One Door East’s menu through an assorted variety of unique items.

Our server recommended sushi but our eyes settled on these appetizers, a Beet Salad and Burnt Ends. The salad was refreshing with nice sized chunks of red and yellow beets baked in salt then nestled in smoked goma aioli – a type of vegetable dressing – sprinkled with beet plum powder.

Burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the “point” half of a smoked brisket. I don’t know who smokes the best barbecue burnt ends in Fort Lauderdale, but definitely One Door East did a ‘hickory’ good job with their dish, combining multiple flavors of salty and smokey charred beef tips with small side bites of 1-year old aged cheddar cheese atop Japanese pickles. With about 8 pieces of meat, it was plenty for two to share and hold a good conversation over dried Chardonnay wine and background music from the restaurant.

For the main plate we went for the priciest item on the menu – the roasted lobster. The gorgeous crustacean was served on a platter cut in two, drizzled with an herbed cilantro butter sauce.

The tail and claw meat had been removed, roasted, cut into bite-sized pieces and nestled back in the whole length of the lobster with the claw meat tucked into the emptied-out body cavity, and big caramelized lemon halves. A most unusual presentation but in line with the way the Japanese prepare their food with everything served in bite size pieces, so no knives or cutting ever necessary.

Dining at One Door East was a sensual experience and our servers made us feel fully spoiled. It was an exciting night that we capped with a savory Chocolate Bread Pudding with a generous dollop of Crème Anglaise and scoop of Blackberry Thai Basil Ice Cream. This is one seriously delicious desert with layered flavors of dense cocoa, creamy sauce and fruity cool ice cream in every bite.

A slew of restaurants in Fort Lauderdale have helped put the area’s culinary scene on the map. These two restaurants are among them. If you hadn’t heard about Valentino Cucina Italiana or One Door East and if you like trying new restaurants; then any of these two restaurants should be on the top of everyone’s dining list for a very special occasion, or a laid-back epicurious Friday night get-together with friends.

If you visit, Valentino Cucina Italiano and One Door East are located at 620 S. Federal Highway, Ft. Lauderdale. Their phone number is 954-523-5767 and more information about menu and special events is available on valentinocucinaitaliana.com and onedooreast.com.

—

Dining at Valentino Cucina Italiana and One Door East, Two Culinary Sensations under one roof, will make a very exceptional night for you in Fort Lauderdale. Valentino Cucina Italiana offers a modern Italian twists in its menu, while One Door East focuses on delicious small plates of Japanese and Spanish influence.

The post From Valentino to One Door East, Two Culinary Sensations Under One Roof appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

California, as usual, gets all the credit for making food trucks the next big thing. It’s where the ingenious Korean barbecue tacos were born, mixing two cuisines into a high-end yet affordable new taste. Along with the explosion of social media platforms and smartphones, chefs who had invested in these mobile restaurants started seeing great success despite the economic downturn. And customers rapidly began to clamor for more because food truck offerings gave them an upscale taste and an inexpensive price.

Even as the economy improved, food trucks are still enjoying the ride. And it’s easy to see why. For one, there are hundreds of choices featuring grilled cheeses, made-to-order sandwiches, donuts, tacos, and a lot more.

But most important, patrons happily wait in line, making friends with each other as they wait for their orders. For example, the city of West Palm Beach did a study project in November 2017 called Flagler Shore where on select Wednesdays food trucks would line up along the waterfront during lunch hour. This would allow people working in the area and residents to break for a quick lunch while relaxing at the extra sitting available along public areas.

The demand for food trucks is still high, and it doesn’t seem like it will decline any time soon. IKnowJAX created a short video of fun things to do in Jacksonville, including the best restaurants to visit as well as great craft breweries, festivals and events that happen in The River City, also highlighting the Jax food truck scene. Watch…

As you see, these trucks feature unique dishes that are sometimes hard to find at regular restaurants but that are popular among people in Florida. Items of the Venezuelan cuisine for example, are mostly found in touring food trucks.

Food trucks also give diners the chance to interact with the chefs who regularly operate the trucks. It’s easy to give feedback about a favorite item any suggestions for things you’d love to see on the menu.

—

Millennials and food trucks go together, but food trucks are at all-time popular when it comes to fast, delicious meals at very reasonable prices.

The post Why Have Food Trucks Become So Popular? appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

A few weeks ago, I made a version of Arroz con Pollo that a friend remembered from his favorite childhood restaurant. It was green with cilantro and creamy with cheese and sour cream. I made a casserole that combined three recipes, my Green Rice, Poached Chicken and a creamy cheese sauce. All this was topped with buttered breadcrumbs and took me about four hours to make. It was delicious but it was so much work!

Even the more traditional Spanish Chicken and Rice is a multi-step recipe that takes a lot of time. In my world, I can make rice on the stovetop and grill chicken thighs in less time with less mess, but that is not what most people think of when they think of Chicken and Rice.

Electric pressure cookers are also having a moment. And, until recently, I had never used one. My sister bought one and bragged about making chicken soup in 15 minutes. I thought she was dreaming. or had made a chicken soup so devoid of taste that no one would want to eat it.

But all that changed when I got my hands on a pressure cooker. I chose a simple model from Cuisinart that would let me chose between high and low and set the time. As someone new to pressure cookers, I am not going to bake a cake or make yogurt in one of them.

Thinking about the simple and craveable combination of chicken and rice, I experimented with throwing it all in a pressure cooker and seeing what would happen. I didn’t saute onions_or even use them_or brown the chicken which you could certainly do and it would only make it better. I made it by putting everything in the pressure cooker and turning it on.

I did stack the flavor deck a little. I used chicken stock and white wine to cook the brown jasmine rice and the chicken. I seasoned the chicken thighs with a spice rub and added it to the liquid, and added unsalted butter for flavor and texture. But I also used a bag of frozen vegetables for convenience. I am partial to lima beans, but I figured that most people would prefer peas and carrots so that is what I used. I had some fresh thyme so I added that to the pot, but if you don’t have it you can use dried thyme.

I had a pound of fresh mushrooms that needed cooking so I sliced and sauteed them before putting everything in the pressure cooker_but they could be optional. After 23 minutes, I was rewarded with a surprisingly delicious one-bowl meal that was the very definition of wholesome comfort food. It was bursting with flavor and made me dream of what else I could make in the pressure cooker. With food this good, and this fast, there is no excuse not to cook from scratch.

Under pressure quickie chicken and rice:

Servings 6
Start to finish: 35 minutes
1 pound of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (optional)
1 1/2 cups brown jasmine rice (White rice cooks too quickly and will be mushy and overcooked)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2cup white wine
1/8pound butter (half a stick)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper
4-6bone-in chicken thighs, or 8 boneless chicken thighs
1 16-ounce bag of frozen peas and carrots
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Special Equipment: Electric Pressure Cooker

If using mushrooms, saute and set aside. Measure out rice, stock, wine and butter, and place in pressure cooker pot.

Meanwhile, mix salt and dried spices together. Season chicken and set aside. Add remaining spice mixture to rice and stock. Stir to mix. Add the mushrooms, if using, and the frozen vegetables and place the chicken on top. Add the sprigs of fresh thyme.

Lock the pressure cooker according to manufacturer instructions. Make sure the valve is in the pressure position. Set the pressure on high and set time for 23 minutes.

Chef’s Note: The pressure cooker will take about 20 minutes to build pressure. After that, it will begin to time the cooking process so the whole cooking time is 43 minutes.

Once the pressure cooker has cooked for 23 minutes, let it release naturally. Open and stir to make sure the rice is done. If it is too al dente, continue cooking on simmer or pressure cook for another 3-4 minutes.

The chicken skin will not be brown or crispy. If you want the skin crispy, place in a heat proof serving piece and crisp the skin under the broiler.

Nutrition information per serving: 397 calories; 103 calories from fat; 12g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 85 mg cholesterol; 705 mg sodium; 48 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 22 g protein.

—

Editor’s note: Elizabeth Karmel is a barbecue and Southern foods expert. She is the chef and pit master at online retailer CarolinaCueToGo.com and the author of three books, including “Taming the Flame.”

Cooking recipe: Here’s how to make delicious chicken and rice under pressure in a cooker by North Carolina native Elizabeth Karmel, a.k.a. Grill Girl.

The post Make Delicious Chicken and Rice Under Pressure – in a Cooker appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

Arepa is sort of round cornbread disc that’s cut open and stuffed with ingredients. It came from Venezuela hundreds of years ago and once everyone tasted the deliciousness, it spread like wildfire. It’s very popular in Venezuela and Colombia.

Venezuelans eat their arepas as a snack or late-night food. Many people compare this bread to an English muffin. They are often stuffed with savory fillings like shredded beef, black beans, fresh cheese, etc.

As arepa restaurants, called areperas, began becoming more commonplace, that’s when the arepa became something beyond its already extraordinary existence. Much like sandwiches, there’s really no wrong way to fill an arepa, though it should be noted that arepas without fillings are called “widows.”

You’ll find arepas in a variety of sizes. Some are the size of silver dollar pancakes while others are bigger, like burgers. They also come in varying degrees of thickness. Some are baked, some are fried, and some are grilled over hot coals. It’s really hard to have a bad arepa experience. Try them plain, with butter, or with cheese.

Traditionally, arepas were made by indigenous tribes in Venezuela by shucking corn and then allowing them to dry and preserve. Now, most people these days buy ready-made corn flour and make their own arepas. Others will seek them out at areperas, which have become widely spread in Florida, to get pretty tasty arepas with very little effort.

In Miami, Doggi’s Venezuelan Cuisine is a fantastic place to seek out for an arepa eating experience. It began life as a hot dog food truck but turned into a brick-and-mortar establishment in order to feed its massive (not to mention hungry) customer base. On the menu, you’ll find 23 different types of arepas, all of them overstuffed with incredibly delicious delights.

But if 23 different arepas sounds like a difficult decision to choose from, then head on over to Doral where you’ll find El Arepazo. They have over 70 unique arepas to try. Most of them feature fillings made with traditionally authentic Venezuelan ingredients and dishes like reina pepiada or asado negro. In addition to so many choices, you can create your own perfect arepa by mixing and matching the ingredients.

There’s really no wrong way to eat an arepa.

The general consensus is that just eating one is good enough. Once you try one of these wonderfully soft and flavorful Venezuelan cornbreads, you’ll wonder why you never had one sooner. It’s like the next level sandwich, only it’s been around for much longer than you have. That’s OK, most things need to grow into their cool before they become the next big thing.

—

Arepas, the Venezuelan Corn Bread. Tasty Latin American often stuffed with savory fillings like shredded beef, black beans, fresh cheese, etc.

The post Venezuelan Arepas: Popular, Savory Snacks for Lunch or Late Night Food appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.

Well, for one, brunch is special because it’s only available on Sundays. Most people don’t work on Sundays, so a leisurely meal like brunch is a treat. Most days, we’re rushing off to work, trying not to choke on a bran muffin while we navigate the Florida highways or spill hot coffee on our laps while our children bicker in the backseat. No, no. We’ve earned this meal of chill, thank you.

Unlike breakfast, brunch offers the chance to enjoy simple cocktails like a Bloody Mary or Mimosa. Sure, you could do that with lunch too, but unlike brunch, you can also get breakfast foods. At lunch, that simply doesn’t fly. When you’re meeting friends for brunch, it’s nice that you can choose between more breakfast-like options or lunch-type fare for whatever you feel in the mood for and everyone else in your group can do the same. Because EVERYONE has that one friend who won’t order the best pancakes in the state because she’s on a diet. Let her have that salad and be sad then. You’ve got options and booze and that makes brunch the best.

Plus, Sunday brunch just feels fancier. Perhaps it’s the mimosas talking, but there’s something about brunch that takes Sunday and turns it into a fun day. That, and Floridians like me are simply in no rush to get out into the world on Sundays. We bide our time and brunch really encourages that laid back, pampered feeling we should be embracing on a Sunday.

And just as restaurant patrons all over Florida are flocking to brunches up and down the coast, restaurants are responding in droves, eager to meet the niche in the market. Sunday brunch is also big business in the food industry and the competition is pretty intense as they seek to gain more clientele for the brunch rush. Some will offer complimentary mimosas with your meal (yes, please!) while others will throw together a sumptuous buffet of the most sought-after brunch bites, like eggs Benedict, omelets and made-to-order Belgian waffles alongside soups, sandwiches and salads.

If you  like new flavors, and experimenting with original and daring combinations, then brunch is for you. If you like partying on Saturday nights, brunch on Sundays is is usually served in quite a wide time window -between 11am and 5pm – in most restaurants. This flexibility, combined with the variety of food on offer, means you easily are in control of your schedule.

But above all, it’s the time that you share with your friends what counts during brunch!

The post Wondering Why You’ve Got to Go Brunching on Sundays? appeared first on The Florida Daily Post.