Arepa Power Leads Venezuela to First WBC Title as Inquiries Surge at Venezuelan Restaurants in Japan

The 6th World Baseball Classic (WBC), in which Samurai Japan aimed for consecutive championships, ended with Venezuela winning their first title after defeating the United States in the final.

Although Japan ended up with a disappointing result, one of the highlights during the tournament was the wide variety of social media posts from participating countries’ supporters. Reading those posts became part of the enjoyment of watching the WBC.

Among the most talked-about was the support hashtag for Venezuela, the eventual champions: “AREPA POWER.” Arepa (hereafter “arepa”) is a traditional Venezuelan national dish, and the idea behind the slogan was a kind of good-luck charm—eat arepas and play well.

Perhaps that blessing worked, as Venezuela went on to win the championship with outstanding performances. Many people may now be interested in trying the same arepas that the players ate.

We spoke with Mr. Marquez, who runs a food truck called “TOKYO AREPA” specializing in Venezuelan cuisine, about the reaction to Venezuela’s victory in the WBC, the characteristics of Venezuelan food, and where it can be eaten in Japan.

“In Venezuela, baseball is a national sport. There are teams that the whole country follows, similar to how people in Japan follow the Giants and Hanshin Tigers. Because of that, when they won, the entire country celebrated—it was so big that it became a national holiday,” says Marquez.

Venezuela is celebrating its WBC victory as a national event. Although they had defeated Japan directly in the quarterfinals, one might assume they would feel awkward in Japan afterward. However, after that match, Marquez says they actually received many inquiries from Japanese people.

“Since it was decided that Venezuela would face Japan in the WBC, we started receiving inquiries asking where our kitchen car would be operating and where Venezuelan food could be found. I’m really happy that more people have become interested in Venezuelan cuisine.”

Most people probably don’t even know what kinds of dishes Venezuelan cuisine includes. When we asked Mr. Marquez, he introduced several representative ones.

“The most famous Venezuelan dish is arepa. It’s made by grilling a thin dough made from corn flour and then stuffing it with meat, vegetables, cheese, and so on. The name changes depending on the filling—for example, when you put chicken and avocado inside, it’s called reina pepiada, and when you add shredded stewed beef and cheese, it’s sometimes called perico.

Arepa is such an essential dish in Venezuela that the slogan ‘AREPA POWER’ has long been used in support culture. Other well-known dishes include empanadas, which are made by wrapping meat in corn dough and frying it, and pabellón, a plate combining white rice, black bean stew, shredded stewed beef, and plantains.”

All of them sound delicious, but most people in Japan may have never seen a Venezuelan restaurant before. When asked where they can be eaten, he gave an unexpected answer:

“It’s good to come to our kitchen car and eat, but I actually recommend trying to make it yourself by buying corn flour. We sell non-GMO corn flour online, so you can use that, prepare your favorite fillings, and enjoy it like a hand-rolled sushi party—an arepa party with family and friends.

Arepa doesn’t require fermentation like bread, so it’s very easy to make. We also include a recipe for the dough, so I really hope people in Japan will try it.”

Mr. Marquez’s kitchen car, TOKYO AREPA, is scheduled to serve arepas at a craft beer shop in Tachikawa on the 18th of this month.

Venezuela may have been Japan’s rival in the WBC, but now that the game is over, sharing arepas and becoming friends doesn’t sound like a bad idea.