Pabellón (specifically pabellón criollo) is a Venezuelan plate of rice with black beans, shredded beef, and fried ripe plantain, considered the national dish of Venezuela.

Quick Scoop

  • It is not dumplings.
  • It is not fried chicken.
  • It is not a stuffed pastry.
  • It is a composed plate of:
    • White rice.
* Stewed black beans.
* Shredded beef in tomato-based sauce.
* Fried ripe plantain slices (tajadas) in the most common version.

So, from your options, pabellón is: “rice, black beans, shredded meat and plantain.”

A bit more flavor

Pabellón criollo is widely regarded as Venezuela’s national dish and symbolizes the mix of Indigenous, Spanish, and African influences in the country’s cuisine. Common variations add a fried egg on top (pabellón a caballo) or emphasize the plantains on the sides (pabellón con barandas).

Example: A typical plate will have a mound of white rice, a portion of stewed black beans, a pile of juicy shredded beef, and a fan of golden fried plantain slices along one side.

TL;DR: Pabellón is a Venezuelan rice plate with black beans, shredded beef, and fried plantain, not dumplings, fried chicken, or a pastry.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.