Venezuela: Food and Culture

Claudia Gumina and Brittany Perez KSC DI 2014

Ice Breaker
What is your background?
Just like all of you have varied origins, people in Venezuela are a mix of different cultures.

Objectives
To identify the main components of Venezuelan culture.
To identify natural resources of various regions.

To understand the connection between culture and food.

To identify the factors that affect food choices and availability.

NH Curriculum Frameworks
1. Geography: SS:GE:2: - Places and Regions: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the physical and human geographic features that define places and regions as well as how culture and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions. 12:2.2: Investigate how relationships between humans and the physical environment lead to the formation of place, e.g., terracing of hillsides or oasis agriculture. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment, D: Material Wants and Needs,G: Science, Technology, and Society) 2. World History: SS:WH:5: - Social/Cultural: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the changing forms of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services over time. 12:4.3: Analyze the development and impact of various labor systems, e.g., slavery, the medieval guilds, or wage labor. (Themes: C: People, Places and Environment, D: Material Wants and Needs, I: Patterns of Social and Political Interaction)

Venezuela

Climate
The country lies wholly within the tropics, but depending on elevation, regional climate varies from tropical humid to alpine.

Main Industry
Oil Production
Big source of income Provided many jobs for the population

Venezuelan Culture
It is a combination of three different cultures:
Spanish African-American Native-Venezuelan Indians It was also influenced by the arrival of immigrants later on.

Common Resources
Islands Fish Capital

Coffee
Plantains Andes

Cocoa
Corn Coffee

Coffee
Sugar Cane

Llanos
Cattle Rice Corn

Trout

Food
Arepas: Traditional cornmeal cake
Cachapas: Corn based pancake Pasta: second largest consumers of pasta worldwide Hallaca: Cornmeal wrapped in leaves and filled with meats, capers, raisins, olives.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits:
Papaya Mangoes Soursop Plantains Nispero Vegetables
Yucca

Apio Turnip-root celery

Pumpkin

Food Sample
Like pancakes, made out of fresh corn dough.

Political Situation
After the recent devaluation, the real value of the minimum wage in Venezuela has plummeted to $63/month. - Ramn Guillermo Aveledo, NY Times

- There are severe shortages of basic goods such as milk, sugar, oil, chicken and beef.

How does this affect food choices?

Increased food prices. Lower caloric intake. Nutrient needs are not met
Milk = biggest source of Ca for many individuals
No milk = less Ca

What is you have a food allergy?

Even harder to afford food because most special diet food is imported.

Match the food to the region

Trout
Cattle Plantains Fish Cacao

Which three culture were the most influential in the making of Venezuelans own?