The story
Luruaco, a small town by a lagoon on the road between Cartagena and Barranquilla, is officially recognised as the cradle of the arepa de huevo. The local account credits Rosa Amelia Montero, who first made the dish more than 60 years ago: a corn arepa fried until puffed, slit open, filled with a raw egg and fried again to seal it. The recipe passed from mothers to daughters, and in 2003 the town's women formed an association of more than 65 makers. Luruaco now turns out thousands a day and holds an arepa de huevo festival every June, while Cartagena's street stalls made it famous with visitors.
Rival claims
Cartagena, about 70 km away, is where most visitors eat them, but Luruaco is credited as the birthplace and holds the annual arepa de huevo festival.
Also known as arepa e' huevo, arepa con huevo, Colombian egg arepa.
On the Meridish menu
Arepa de huevo was the street food course on menu No. 22 on October 22, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A golden corn cake fried, slit open, filled with a raw egg and fried again. A small lakeside town, where most families make a living from them, is called its cradle.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- aldianews.com/culture/destinations/what-arepa-de-huevo
- portafolio.co/tendencias/sociales/arepa-de-huevo-el-plato-tradicional-que-puso-a-este-pueblo-de-atlantico-en-el-mapa-639487
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
