The Venezuelan corn pancake often filled with cheese and cooked on a griddle is called a cachapa.
Cachapas are made from a batter of fresh corn kernels, which gives them a naturally sweet flavor and soft, moist texture. The batter is spread into a round cake and cooked on a griddle. A common serving folds the cachapa around queso de mano, a soft Venezuelan cheese.
The dish is associated with Venezuela’s agricultural regions, where fresh corn has long been important. It can be eaten as breakfast, a snack, or a filling street-food meal, and vendors often prepare it to order.
Cachapas are frequently confused with arepas. Both are Venezuelan corn-based foods, but cachapas use fresh corn and are cooked as sweet, tender pancakes. Arepas are generally made from precooked corn flour and can be split and filled after cooking.