Masarepa is pre cooked corn flour and the main ingredient to make arepas in Colombia and Venezuela.
Masarepa: is precooked corn flour used to make Colombian arepas, empanadas and tamales. Some of the brands available in the United States are Pan and Goya.
You can buy Pan Arepa Flour on Amazon
You can find Goya masarepa in the Latin aisle at supermarkets.
maria Laverde
i just want to say hello yto all t he colombians that live far far away! I never tought that there were some colombians in India,jejejje that's funny we are every where ha! this is fantastic! rocio
Anonymous
I just found this website while i was looking for ideas for a barbeque in England! as a proud colombian i love to make food for my british hubby and his family. But i am strugling to find anything that emotely resembles masa arepa in Manchester!!!! Any ideas of how to get around this problem when there is no mexican/latin shops around??? Can i use polenta? 😀
Erica
To make arepas you have to use fresh corn or precooked corn meal (Masarepa).
Linda
I lived in Memphis years ago before there were any hispanic markets or produce. Masarepa did not exist 50 years ago - what do you think Colombians used then... well - they did it from scratch as did it. If you can find hominy - also known as peto - fresh is best, but if not, then canned. Traditionally, the masa was made from passing the hominy through a meat grinder to get the soft mushy dough. But now we have food processors - so use that. I also like to use a little yucarina - (yuca starch) (also known as tapioca) to make the dough fry up nice and crispy.
I have not tried to make hominy from scratch - but in a pinch, all is possible.
Good luck.
shelby
i found P.A.N. pre-cooked white corn meal at sweet bay and publix supermarkets (in fla, usa) and on amazon.com. hope this helps...
Esther
Maizena is corn starch and Maseca is to make tortillas, so don't use it for arepas.
Emily
Anybody know if you can use Harina de Maiz instead of Masarepa?
Erica
Emily- You need masarepa!
Anonymous
But the picture above says Harina de Maiz on it??
Erica Dinho
It is harina de maiz (precooked corn meal)
Aimee
hola - can we subsitute masarepa with maizena?
i'm in a little town in the middle of "no where" in france.
🙁
Erica
Aimee- NO!!! Sorry!
Marge
Hello, I live in NYC. We are lucky to have many Mexican and South American groceries.
I wish I could find masarepa with out added iron and GMO free.
Can I make my own masarepa from organic corn meal such as Bob's red mill brand?
Lisa
there are some pages that import products from colombia. kinda expensive but u will be amazed
Adele
Hey!
I live in India and we don't get masarepa here. We sometimes get imported cornmeal, but it's a bit expensive. We do get corn grits (it's called dalia here) and I can get corn ground at a local mill. Do you know how I can make my own masarepa at home? I've looked online but can't find a recipe.
Thanks!
Chris
I doubt you'll be able to find that in London my friend, I lived in Southampton for 6 months, and the lengths I had to go to find something similar to make a colombian dish was extremely tough, I would think an Asda or Tesco would carry some kind of cornmeal which is essentially what you're looking for. I don't think Goya is in England if it is, it goes by another name, but I'm sure you'll be able to find a similar cornmeal that will give the same result. Good luck mate!
B
Does anyone know where I can buy this in London, England!?!?
~ Suze
Try looking in the baking aisle of your grocer for Masa Harina. It's sold in a typical standard flour bag. This is basically the same as Masarepa.
~ Suze
Masarepa isn't quite a fine as masa harina. It is grainy like a fine sand. Apparently Arepa corn has a larger, starchier kernel. Infamous Chef Rick Bayless recommends using a mix of quick cooking grits and masa harina to get the coarser texture of masarepa.
James C
P.A.N. brand masarepa is finer than the masa harina (Bob's Red Mill) that I've used.
In my experience masa harina makes much denser and heavier areapas than masarepa.
Carolyn Waterfall
Masa Harina is NOT the same as masarepa. Masarepa is pre-cooked corn ground into flour. Masa Harina is ground nixtamalized corn. Nixtamalized means the grain is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution, usually limewater, washed, and then hulled. They will respond differently in cooking.
Steve
Elephant and castle shopping centre is a large colombian community there
Steve
Elephant and castle has a large colombian population and you can get a lot of things there also there is a leno and carbon around the corner where u can get colombian cooked food
Anonymous
where can i buy this in london, England!?!?
Anonymous
Since it probably doesn't go bad, maybe you could order it off amazon. I'm serious!
Anonymous
They have it at Buckingham palace
Ruth
Do check on amazon.com you should be able to order it from them.
Anonymous
In Elephant & Castle, there are some latin shops. Also in Lewisham. I am also able to find it in an Indian shop in Kent.
Gado-Gado Gal
My Colombian partner says that Doñarepa and P.A.N are also good - just different brands of the same thing. I prefer yellow and white corn P.A.N. to all the others because the consistency is creamier, the closest to making it from scratch with maiz trillado. And it seems there are several Asian grocery stores that stock Latino products - either distributors are supplying several ethnic groups, or the shops are diversifying their clientele. Either way, yay!
Ida
I'm in Tempe, there's a Lee Lee's Asian Market on Dobson & Warner Rd. It's behind a McDonalds.
Renee
I live in Phoenix and have trouble finding Goya products. Where is Lee Lee's Asian Market?? I'd appreciate the address!
Stephanie
I have spent about an hour trying to find a store that has masarepa. I have managed to track down Goya's Masarepa in an Asian Market of all places. I live in Phoenix so I phoned all the local Latino Markets and was with out any luck in finding this corn meal. My friend mentioned Lee Lee's Asian Market outside of Phoenix that has a FULL line of Goya products. Go figure. I can't wait to make the arepas for dinner tonight! Just wanted to pass on this bit of information to your subscribers that an Asian Market may just be the answer for hard to find ingredients.
Carmen Ramirez
Another kind of corn meal used for empanads or tamales if called "Maseca". that can be found in any tecaria or the mexican isle in walmart.
Ana
@ Carmen Ramirez: Maseca is definitely not for Colombian empanadas. That type of corn product is made for tamales or tortillas, sopes, tostadas, chalupas, etc. Different texture, different taste, cooks differently.
Victor
The Maseca is for mexican tamales, enchiladas, tacos, and the like, It cannot be compared to the P.A.N brand which is ground finely; the Maseca is coarse. I could not even imagine an area made with the mexican dough.
Kris
I have also found that some Phillipino markets may also have products that are used by Latin countries. Thanks for the post. Good to know!
Scott Griffiths
Filipino
susanC
I ordered PAN on Amazon
Nikki
Venezuelan here - order harina pan on amazon. 🙂 harina pan is the go-to masarepa flour brand for Venezuelans for a reason. I’d be super surprised if you didn’t find it in Phoenix. I found it at a big Mexican grocery store within 10 mins of the camelback area when I was visiting.
Anonymous
You can also find Pam Arepa Arina at Food City.