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Naiboa

A crisp cassava sandwich filled with melted papelón and cheese — a sweet from Venezuela’s Barlovento coast.

⏱ 20 minPrep time
🔥 15 minCook time
🍽 6Servings
🏷 DinnerCategory
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Naiboa - Venezuela

Naiboa is a traditional sweet from the Barlovento region and the eastern coast of Venezuela, made with casabe, the ancient cassava flatbread of indigenous origin. Two crisp rounds of casabe are sandwiched with a thick, caramel-like papelón filling — sometimes with cheese — and baked until golden.

Cassava, papelón, and nostalgia

The casabe stays shatteringly crisp while the filling turns chewy and deeply caramel-sweet, with soft pockets of melted cheese if you add it. It is a humble, rustic dessert that tastes like the Venezuelan countryside.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Combine the papelón, water, and butter in a small pot and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until it becomes a thick, glossy syrup.
  2. Stir in the cinnamon and anise, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly until spreadable.
  3. Spread the filling over one side of a casabe round, sprinkle with the grated cheese, and top with a second round, pressing gently.
  4. Repeat with the remaining casabe rounds and filling.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes until the filling bubbles and the edges toast; cut into wedges and serve warm.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Casabe is very brittle — warm the rounds briefly in a dry pan to make them pliable before spreading the filling. Naiboas are best eaten warm the day they are made.

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Recipe details

Prep20 min
Cook15 min
Servings6
CategoryDinner
PublishedAugust 17, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →