Arepa de choclo
A Colombian Andean griddle cake made from fresh sweet-corn batter, cooked in butter and served with white cheese.
Almojábanas
Almojábana · Almojábanas colombianas · Colombian cheese bread
Small Colombian cheese breads made with precooked corn flour, queso fresco, mozzarella, eggs, milk and baking powder. This documented home version makes eight breads and is served warm.
A Colombian cheese bread, in an adapted home formula
Erica Dinho describes almojábana as a traditional Colombian cheese bread eaten at breakfast or as a snack with coffee or hot chocolate. She says cuajada, a fresh white cheese, is the base she associates with the Colombian version. Because she could not find it in the United States, this recipe uses queso fresco and mozzarella; she notes the result is close to, but not the same as, the bread she makes in Colombia.
The author also uses “parva” for baked goods in Antioquia, where she was born and raised. That is regional context from the author, not evidence that this exact formula originated there.
Sources for this section
History
The recipe author describes almojábana as a traditional Colombian cheese bread and explains that cuajada is its Colombian base. This page documents her adapted U.S. version with queso fresco and mozzarella; it does not establish an earliest attestation.
Ingredients
Yield 8 breads · Scaling: source batch only
Masarepa or precooked cornmeal
296 mL1¼ cup as recorded
Use precooked corn flour.Queso fresco
710 mL3 cup as recorded
MozzarellaShred.
237 mL1 cup as recorded
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
2
59 mL4 tbsp as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw egg and dairy handling
The dough contains eggs, milk and fresh cheese before baking.
Hazard sourceUse pasteurized dairy and clean handling for eggs and dough; bake the portions through and serve promptly. The cited recipe does not give an internal-temperature safety limit.
Control sourceThe author says Colombian cuajada is traditionally used and is made from non-pasteurized milk; this version instead specifies queso fresco and mozzarella. For home preparation, choose pasteurized cheeses.
Golden color and the stated bake time are the source's doneness cues, not a measured internal safety limit.
- Heat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Grease a baking sheet.
- Put the masarepa and both cheeses in a food processor and mix them together.
- Add the butter, baking powder, salt, eggs and whole milk. Process until evenly combined.
- Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and shape each into a ball. Set them on the greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.
Conditions
Yield8 breads
Active time10 min
Temperature204°C
Places
Colombia
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe author identifies the recipe as Colombian; no precise birthplace is claimed.
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Sources
My Colombian RecipesInspiration · Method · History
Almojábanas (Colombian Cheese Bread)Ingredient quantities, eight-portion yield, 400°F oven, food-processor mixing, shaping and 25–30 minute bake.
The author identifies cuajada as the Colombian base cheese, describes using queso fresco and mozzarella in the U.S. version, and associates parva with Antioquia.
Cited in: A Colombian cheese bread, in an adapted home formula