Hallacas are very similar to the Mexican "tamales" and they are a must in our Christmas celebrations. I ate my first hallacas when I was only two years old. Venezuelan families usually gather to prepare them- it's all about the teamwork because of the process which is kind of long or complicated for a single person. My mom was the leader of our familiar group and I was her little "helper."
 

One day, when I was big enough, I said: I'm gonna do this by myself. Let me tell you this is a LOT of work, that's why you'll need patience or a team to prepare them. But it will be worth it because the final result is simply yummy. I still think my mom's hallacas were the best, but I'm trying to follow her footsteps. 
 

December is a month that every Venezuelan loves, because it's all about sharing, eating, and drinking. Hallacas are always the main guest. This dish is also popular in Colombia (Cucuta and Barranquilla), but they eat it throughout the whole year. Maybe you'll find them in Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Spain because of immigration. 
 

 

Preparation:
 

1. Boil the meat, the chicken, and the pork in water with salt. Add the parsley, some onion, the garlic and add the peppers, the leeks, and the chives. 

2. Once it's ready, you can drain it and save the broth. Cut the different meats into small pieces (once they are not that hot) and stir-fry them in a pan. 

3. Add the capers, the spices, the vinegar and the papelón (just a bit)

4. Let it cook for 20 minutes and let it rest away from the fire. Once it's cold confirm that the seasoning is ok and fix it if you need to. 

5. Save it in a container and do the same with the broth. 


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1. Fry the onoto with oil or butter. You will have a very red mix. Once it's cool strain it and save only the liquid part. Now let this liquid fall on top of you precooked corn flour. Mix it with water, salt, and parsley and mix it until you get a dough consistency. 

2. The dough needs to be even, with no little hard balls inside it. Cover it with a wet and clean towel for a while. 

3. You need to clean, cut and dry the plantain leafs, for a circle with the dough in the middle of the leaf. Flatten de ball and (you don't want it to be too thick) and add the fillings: the stew with the meat, the chicken, and pork and add some bacon, raisins, olives and some slices of boiled egg (this is optional) 

4. Close your hallaca. This is the right way to fold them and a bit more about the preparation: 
 

https://youtu.be/UyrQXY9W4R8

https://youtu.be/uDho4UgVYUE

https://youtu.be/HUO53DCen-g
 

5. Cook your hallacas in boiling water with salt for a whole hour. 

When you prepare hallacas you prepare about 200 of them, because you save them for all the Christmas Holliday and because you share them with your family members that were part of the cooking process. 

Author: Jackeline Colucci

Read the original Spanish version here.