As December comes near, people around Venezuela start to think about the traditional foods that will be on their plate on Christmas' and New Year's Eve. It is something that happens every year. However, I've always wondered why aren't these things made all year long. They are good selling items in the business of food. I get they give a lot of work, but making it past the usual time gives them more flavor.
A few weeks ago, my brother's godmother announced she was selling Hallacas. If you don't what this is it, it's simple. It is stuffed corn dough. It has a stew inside which it usually a mix of pork and beef, sometimes chicken. But it can get even more creative using other kinds of meat or even fish. According to the region on the country it can have more or less ingredients. Around the Andes, it has beans and it is stored raw until you want to cook them. In the center, it has nuts like almonds or others. In the east, it gets pieces of potatoes and hard-boiled egg. Some things that do not change are raising and olives. Cappers give the stew some signature flavors. This dough is then wrapped in plantain leaves. The leaves are tied with butchers twine. Then, they go into a pot and you let them boil for some time.
In most cases, since the stew has been already cooked, it doesn't take too much time to make.
The result is a bomb of flavor. Legend has it that Hallacas come from the slaves. They used to gather scraps of food in plantain leaves and then would make these preparation on Christmas Eve when their master gave them some more food. I don't know if that's actually true or it is a way of tampering with history. What I know is that having one outside the usual Christmas setting is amazing.
Even more so when the hands that made it are known for their fine cooking skills.
My first Hallaca of the year was an amazing one!
Have you had your first Hallaca yet? If you're from other latitudes, what traditional foods do you eat during Christmas time?
Photos 📷: Redmi Note 13
Thumbnail 🖼️: Canva.
Editing 🎬: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.
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