Harina P.A.N.

Harina PAN is the first and arguably the most popular brand of plain corn flour in Colombia and Venezuela. The brand itself became a neologism, as even with other large competitors in the market, it is used as a noun to indicate any similar maize flour.

Usage

Harina Pan is used to make the maize flour dough also known as "masarepa", that is a basic ingredient in typical Venezuelan and Colombian dishes such as arepas, hallacas or bollos. It can be found in white and yellow varieties that are made from white and yellow varieties of maize respectively. It is an easily digested flour and contains no additives, being suitable for gluten-free and nut-free diets.

History

Before the arrival of Harina Pan, the preparation of this flour was a laborious business, requiring the grains to be soaked, peeled and ground. But in 1954, the Venezuelan beer and malted drinks company Empresas Polar developed an industrial production method, launching the brand in 1960.

The product rapidly gained universal acceptance among housewives because of the tremendous saving in labour and its high quality. The original slogan was "Se acabó la piladera" which basically means "No more pounding" (maize was ground by pounding it in a larger mortar). Harina PAN has remained essentially unchanged since then, as can be seen from the original advertisements.

Cultural reference

It has become an essential ingredient in Latin-American and Venezuelan cookery, with entire websites dedicated to locating the nearest distributor in several countries in the world.

*Source: [http://www.lapaella.co.uk/products/harina_pan.html]
*Source: [http://www.latindeli.com.au]