Hallacas. A Venezuelan Xmas Tradition

[karadekoolaid]

The beginning of November brings a shiver of excitement to thousands of Venezuelan families. It's time to prepare traditional Xmas foods: "pan de jamón" (Ham bread), "ensalada de gallina" (Chicken salad) and the unbelievable "hallaca" .
An hallaca (pronounced "Ay-Yak-uh") is a meat-and-vegetable-filled corn tamale, wrapped in smoked plantain leaves, and then cooked/boiled in water. In its simplest form, it is a nightmare to prepare, with a mile-long list of ingredients, compounded by dozens of regional variations. Complicated versions take up to 3 days. However, despite the culinary difficulty, the hallaca is prepared in family. Mums, dads, kids, cousins, aunt and uncles, grandparents and even neighbours all participate in its elaboration. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of hallacas are made at one time. Christmas Eve (which is when Christmas is celebrated here) and 31st December involve large family celebrations where the hallaca is centre stage.

 

[caseydog]

Thanks for sharing that.

It sounds like the tradition in Mexican homes of families making tamales together, kinda' like a family assembly line led by la abuela (grandmother).

Those are some bigazz tamales.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Hey, I am currently watching a British cooking/entertainment type YouTube video, and they are guessing where some Christmas foods are coming from, and the first one is Pan de Jamon from Venezuela.

CD

 

[karadekoolaid]

Where the hallaca came from, nobody really knows. It was probably an indigenous meal, created from local produce (maize/corn, plantain, etc.) which evolved into something far more complex in Colonial times. Its first appearance in historical texts is from around 1630, but by that time, the Spanish had already been in Venezuela for over 100 years. The inhabitants of the Northern coastal part of Venezuela were Carib, Caraca, Teque, Guayqueri and Quirequire tribes, but widely dispersed. Over 90% of these people were obliterated by smallpox and the "conquistadores", so historical data is sparse. The ancient hallaca was probably filled with a few scraps of local meat and grains, but the importation of Spanish foodstuffs changed all that. Pork, olives, chickpeas, almonds, capers, raisins, wine, all gradually found a spot in the modern hallaca, combined with local maize, plantain, red peppers and annato seeds.
My wife's hallacas hail from the Andes. When I first arrived here in 1981, I looked on in amazement as my MIL, her 3 sisters, her mum, her 3 daughters, cousins, 2nd cousins, the maids and a few friends gathered around a hugely extended kitchen table and began the laborious process of preparing this unique Christmas delicacy. The process took 3 days, and they usually made 350-400.
First came the process of chopping all the vegetables. Bell peppers, sweet chiles, onion, spring (green) onion, leeks, carrots, parsley, coriander leaf, all went into a huge pot of seasoned boiling water to create the stock. Chicken was added . The veg were then separated and blitzed together; the chicken removed and pulled apart; the stock kept to one side. Pork Belly was cooked gently to render the fat (an essential part of the corn "pastry" that covered the hallaca). The crispy pork cracklings (known here as "chicharrón") was a lovely snack while everyone gossiped and chatted away. Then came the pork itself, diced into small pieces. The chicken, the cooked veg, the pork, Worcestershire sauce, Heinz 57 sauce, a bottle of Madeira (or sweet wine), annato seeds, seasoning - all were mixed together and refrigerated overnight, in order to marinate the meat. The following day was the assembly day.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Day 2. (Sometimes extended to Day 3!) The plantain leaves are sold in packedoughts of 50, so one or two of the family were assigned to cut them up into the right sizes. Another person would line up all the ingredients on the table: chicken pieces, olives, raisins, capers, chickpeas, almonds, slices of bell pepper, strips of pork fat, etc. One person would be responsible for making the "masa" (dough) - kilos of white corn/maize flour, mixed with annato seeds to give it colour, stock to hydrate and the rendered pork fat to add flavour. (My wife blitzes roasted peppers and adds that to her mixture, rather than using annato).
Then came the Assembly. A piece of plantain leaf. A thin layer of the "masa", extended into a circle. Pass it on. The next in line would add a generous dollop of "guiso" (the marinaded pork). The next would top that with pieces of chicken and pork fat. Then came the chickpeas, capers, olives, etc. Finally, someone would expertly fold the filled plantain leaves, cover with another leaf, then another, then pass the package to the final participant, who would tie up the hallaca with string. The hallacas were ready for the penultimate stage. Cooked in boiling water for about 30-40 minutes, then drained.
Any leftover dough (there usually is) and leftover marinade is mixed together , spread on the (remaining) plantain leaves and wrapped up just the same. These, however, are not hallacas; these are called "bollos" (boy - yos!). Much closer to a tamale, perhaps, and great for breakfast, with a couple of eggs and some hot sauce.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Different areas of Venezuela have different hallacas. My wife's are from the Andes, so the marinaded pork is left "raw" overnight, before adding to the dough and cooking. In Maracaibo, they put slices of raw onion, raw cane sugar (papelon) and garlic in their hallacas. In Caracas, they use beef, pork and chicken. In the Eastern states, they add sliced boiled eggs, slices of potato, and in the coastal states, they make them with fish!
The proof, however, is in the pudding. You have to eat the hallacas to know how good they are. AND you have to exchange them , among friends and neighbours, so everyone can criticise them. Typically, the comments might be:

• The masa (dough) is too dry!
• Too much raw onion in this!
• Why would anyone put eggs and potato in these?
• Not enough meat in these (typical of the heavy "beef" eaters)
• Too many bits and pieces (olives, chickpeas, capers) and not enough meat
  

But when all is done, everyone agrees. The best hallacas are the ones my mum makes.