Words and definitions Johanabra30 has contributed to the street dictionary.
A panqué is a very fluffy sponge cake, typically chocolate or vanilla flavored, and sometimes containing nuts. These are common staples in bakeries (often categorized alongside pasta seca, or dry pastries).
Bring a panqué to eat with coffee.
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A very common sweet made from baked egg whites and sugar. They are small, airy meringues and are typically found in local bakeries.
Bring me a suspiro from the corner shop.
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A flat, circular sweet bread topped with melted cheese in the center. They are popular nationwide and sold in bakeries and casual snack shops (In Venezuela, a quesadilla is a sweet pastry, distinct from the Mexican savory tortilla dish).
Go and check how much the quesadillas are, please.
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A small cake baked in a paper liner. In Venezuela, this term is used for any type of muffin or cupcake.
How much are the ponquesitos?
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A dense sweet made from cashews or almonds, sugar, and eggs. It is considered a delicacy and is found in select candy stores in the states of Bolivar and Anzoategui (merey is the Venezuelan word for cashew).
I brought you a Mazapán.
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Slices of fried ripe plantain commonly served with Venezuelan lunches. They are sweet, usually crispy, and a key ingredient in Pabellón criollo (Venezuela's national dish consisting of rice, black beans, and shredded beef).
Do you have any more tajadas left?
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A traditional soup made with eggs, potatoes, onions, cilantro, and milk, typically served for breakfast in the Venezuelan Andes region (specifically in the states of Táchira and Mérida).
Make me a little pizquita of those good ones you make.
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A milk-based candy or fudge made with sugar and natural dyes, traditionally produced in the Venezuelan Andes and sold in tourist spots. They are usually sold in small sets of three to seven colorful pieces. The name comes from the shine produced by the sugar crystals coating the surface. (These candies are a signature souvenir from the Andean region, particularly the state of Merida).
How much do these Dulce Abrillantado cost?
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A traditional dessert made with shredded coconut, eggs, wine, and wheat flour. It is very sweet, moist, and soft, usually served at parties or as an afternoon snack (The name literally means it tastes good to me).
Grate this coconut for me to make a bienmesabe
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A traditional dessert made with corn, coconut, cinnamon, and milk. It turns a grayish color when refrigerated and is served in small squares. While similar to gelatin, it has a much firmer and drier consistency.
Mom, make me some majarete.
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A fried, crescent-shaped turnover made from cornmeal dough and stuffed with various fillings. It is a traditional Venezuelan breakfast or dinner staple, usually sold by street vendors in the morning. Fillings include shredded or ground beef, chicken, cheese, ham, egg, and black beans (called caraotas in Venezuela).
I ate 4 cheese empanadas.
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A homemade fruit jelly or thick custard made from fruit juice and spices, thickened with cornstarch. It is a common Venezuelan dessert, usually prepared with tart fruits like pineapple or passion fruit.
Give me a pineapple delicada and the bill, please.
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Sweet spiral rolls filled with salty cheese and unrefined cane sugar syrup, flavored with anise and other spices. They are very common in the capital and central regions of the country. (Papelón is raw cane sugar, similar to molasses or brown sugar).
Let's go eat some golfeados.
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A religious tradition from the Venezuelan Andes where the figurine of the baby Jesus is literally stood up in the Nativity scene. Participants pray the rosary and sing carols accompanied by a violin and a cuatro (a small four-stringed guitar from Venezuela). During the ceremony, two godparents are chosen to carry the image in a procession through the house and surrounding area.
We are going to aunt Lupe's Paradura.
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Fried green plantain slices eaten as snacks or used to make patacones. It is also a vulgar slang term for the penis. (Tostones are a common Venezuelan side dish made by smashing and double-frying green plantains).
1: How much for the tostón? 2: That guy rubbed his tostón against me.
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In eastern Venezuela, Bananita refers to any variety of banana or plantain. They are commonly used green in soups and stews (sancocho is a traditional, hearty meat and vegetable soup).
Honey, give me a green Bananita for the sancocho I am putting together.
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The Venezuelan term for corn on the cob when it is tender and not yet fully ripe. It also describes beans or grains that remain tough during the cooking process. Figuratively, it refers to someone who is green, immature, or very young.
those kids are still very jojotos; it is a way to say they are still just children or very young.
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A term used for the weak or stunted regrowth of grass in long-established pastures after it has been cut. It is also used to describe the second growth or sprouts of harvested crops like fodder and sugar cane.
that little plot of land is all Soca
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A regional term from the state of Táchira in the Venezuelan Andes used to describe potatoes that have begun to sprout or develop eyes, meaning they are ready for planting.
All the potatoes in the basket were planted yesterday because they were already talladas.
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A shrub that grows on dry hills in soil rich with iron-bearing sandstone. It produces red or white flowers and belongs to the legume family, genus Pithecellobium. (Common in the arid landscape of northern Venezuela).
Those flowers are so pretty, they must be from a taguaripe.
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The name for the jungle mountain range and national park located near the city of Barquisimeto (it is a popular destination for hiking and nature in the state of Lara).
let's go for a hike in Terepaima
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Refers to the dry wheat straw or chaff left in fields after a harvest. In the state of Trujillo, it is commonly used as foliage or animal fodder.
those fields burned because there was a lot of tamo there
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A tree of the Compositae family that features beautiful yellow flower heads. Its branches are used to build bahareque walls (a traditional wattle and daub construction method) in rural Venezuelan houses. The pith of the stems is used to create small artistic crafts like animals, flowers, and fruit, and the leaves are a food source for the cachicamo (the Venezuelan term for the armadillo).
tara branches are also used as sticks for herding cattle
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A species of small wild dove native to the state of Lara and the Venezuelan plains. It is smaller than a common pigeon, grayish-brown, and its wings make a soft whistling sound when it flies. It is commonly used as a comparison for anything unusually small.
Those chickens are so tiny! They look like tijúas.
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A sticky resin obtained from the trunk of plants in the Protium genus. It is used to describe a gummy or resinous residue that makes a surface look dirty.
That plate looks kind of dirty, it looks like it is covered in tacamahaca.
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A regional name used in the state of Falcon for a specific type of plant native to the area, particularly in the sectors of La Islita, Cantarrana, and Araju (Falcon is a coastal state in northwestern Venezuela).
the mango tree is right next to the trastrás plant
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In Venezuela, this is the name for a silverfish, a small wingless insect about 15 to 20mm long with a silvery-gray color that feeds on paper and books. The name comes from its resemblance to armored river fish that stick to rocks, called corronchos or cascarrones (Corronchos are flat, scaly catfish common in South American rivers).
The trazas are going to eat those books, we need to clean them somehow because they are eating them.
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A common name for a specific type of hummingbird in the state of Lara, Venezuela. (Lara is a region in western Venezuela known for its rural landscapes and diverse birdlife).
In the late afternoon, many picaflor come to those flowers in the square.
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A common name for tree ferns in the town of Monte Carmelo, Trujillo State (a rural, mountainous region in western Venezuela).
when the rainy season arrives, all the fields fill up with tirindí
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A term used in Zulia, Venezuela, for certain tree ferns whose woody trunks are used as poles or posts, including for outdoor lighting.
We need to change the lightbulb on the tirindín on the corner of the house.
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The common name for a shrub found in the arid regions of Venezuela that grows up to two meters tall. It is characterized by small flowers and lobed, slightly hairy leaves that produce three-seeded pods. (Its scientific name is Jatropha gossypiifolia).
let's go eat some Tuatúa
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A name for a specific species of dove (Leptotila verreauxi) that lives in the Venezuelan Llanos (a vast tropical grassland plain). It is smaller than a common city pigeon and is grayish-brown. In the state of Lara, it is locally called a Tijua.
in the plaza when the old folks throw corn kernels on the ground, a bunch of palomas turcas show up
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A term used in Venezuela to refer to the young shoots, sprigs, or tender new twigs of a plant.
Bring me some pimpollos of mint to make a tea.
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A regional name used in the Venezuelan Andes (specifically in the state of Tachira) for a hummingbird.
those Tuminicos love to suck on that flower
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In Venezuela, this refers to an ear of corn when the kernels are tender and not yet fully ripe, synonymous with the term jojoto. It is also the name of a type of bird native to the country.
We need to start adding the turas to the sancocho (a traditional hearty stew) because the water is already boiling.
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The regional name used in Paraguaná for the medicinal shrub known elsewhere in Venezuela as Tuatua (Jatropha gossypiifolia). (Paraguaná is a peninsula in northwestern Venezuela).
Boiling its roots, just like its buds, is used to treat diabetes with excellent results according to the locals.
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A plant found in the Aragua Valleys of Venezuela, identified as Pisonia macranthocarpa.
In those fields there is a lot of uña de gavilán.
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In Venezuela, this refers to the pseudostem or the new shoots sprouting from banana or plantain plants (cambur is the local Venezuelan word for banana).
the cambur is already growing other vastagos, to indicate that the plant is producing new shoots.
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A Venezuelan palm tree with a trunk used for building bridges and fences, and fronds used for roofing.
that bridge over the river is made entirely of mapora
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A type of feed for cattle and riding animals, consisting of a mixture of bread yeast, wheat bran, and water. (Commonly used in the Táchira region of Venezuela).
Juan, go give the talvina to the beasts!
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In Venezuela, Mamey is the name for the edible fruit of the Mammea americana L. tree. It is also used for medicinal purposes.
The seed of this Mamey is grated and mixed with a bit of coconut oil, and then you rub it on your head to fight lice.
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Common name in Venezuela for the fruit of the calabash or gourd tree. The dried shell is traditionally used as a bowl, vessel, or container.
It is a phrase used to indicate that two people share the same tastes, habits, or vices. People usually say: the measure of cheese and the Tapara of molasses finally got together (cane syrup with cheese is a popular traditional dessert from El Tocuyo, Venezuela).
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In the Venezuelan states of Lara and Guarico, as well as the cloud forests near Portuguesa, this name refers to a bird with vibrant reddish-brown plumage on its wings, back, head, and tail. It has a medium, curved yellow beak and a very long tail. Its scientific name is Piaya cayana (known in English as the Squirrel Cuckoo).
The farmers in the region where this bird lives say its song announces a visitor, and that it tells the time.
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The dry, woody core of an ear of corn that remains once the kernels are removed (the corncob).
In Lara state, poor people used to use tusa as cooking fuel. It is also used to light the way on dark paths by dipping the tip in kerosene so it lasts much longer. When there is no toilet paper, it works well.
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This is a common name for a type of spearmint (Mentha spicata L) that is widely used for medicinal purposes in Venezuela.
you make a poultice with the leaves of the Yerba buena and it is effective for applying to inflamed organs, herpes, hives, itching, and rashes
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Regional name used in Guárico, Venezuela, for the Southern opossum, an animal known elsewhere in the country as rabipelado or faro.
In the countryside and Andean highlands, the manicú often lives in the roofs of wattle and daub houses, causing leaks and water damage when it rains.
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A term used in the Mérida region of Venezuela for the fig-leaf gourd (Cucurbita ficifolia), a climbing vine that produces large, light green fruit with white stripes. (While the word usually refers to common pumpkins in other Spanish-speaking countries, in the Venezuelan Andes it specifically describes this gourd used for sweets.)
A tasty dessert called Cabello de ángel is prepared with this Zapallo.
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This refers to the pads of the prickly pear cactus, which are split open and roasted to be used as a medicinal compress for liver inflammation. (In Venezuelan folk medicine, these pads are a common home remedy applied topically to treat internal swelling).
tie some pads of tuna española with a wide cloth and the swelling in your liver will go down
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