Hallaca (Venezuelan Stuffed Corn Dough)

By RecipeLot

Hallaca ? Photo by Jdvillalobos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hallaca (pronounced ah-YA-kah) is the main Venezuelan Christmas dinner dish. It was created by the slaves during the colony times, who put the left-overs of their masters' Christmas festivities in a bit of cornmeal dough, wrapped this with banana leaves and cooked to mix the flavors. As many things in Venezuela, the hallaca has the influence of three cultures: the white one (European ingredients like raisins, nuts and olives), the native one (the corn meal colored with annatto seeds), and the black one (banana leaves used to cook the food). The original hallaca is made with meat (pork, poultry, beef, lard, crisp pork rind, etc) and boiled eggs. Hallaca requires hours of preparation, but it is usually prepared by the whole family?its preparation is a celebration by itself, where music and drinks make up the festive atmosphere. Mothers nagging children as they steal bits of fillings from the table, and the guys complaining of being relegated to the leaf cleaning and last minute shopping are typical during the hallaca making party. Make sure you have enough friends and family to help you with the procedure below, and that they include people who know how to fold them once filled, wrap them and tie them properly.

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