Asian cuisine adds new spice to crisis-hit Caracas

Latin America

Finding vegetables, fruits and snacks for Asian-style food can be a difficult task in Latin America, especially in Venezuela. The country is going through a deep, economic crisis along with extreme shortages of food.

Despite the crisis, the Asian community in the capital Caracas has managed to keep their culinary traditions alive. CGTN’s Juan Carlos Lamas filed this report from Caracas.

Every Sunday from 5 a.m. until noon, they gather at the Club Social Chino to sell everything from raw eel to cooked duck. It’s a market that specializes in traditional Asian foods.

Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Venezuelan communities come together to buy the ingredients they need to cook their different Asian dishes.

Photos: Visiting the Caracas Asian market

All of the markets’ fruits and vegetables are grown in Venezuela. However, other, more specialized items like soy sauce and several snacks come straight from China.

Figures from the United Nations show that Venezuela has the third largest Chinese population in Latin America, behind Brazil and Argentina.

Venezuela’s economic crisis has affected sales at the Chinese market. Even so, the community is working hard to keep the market open, sell their products, and keep their traditions alive for future generations.