Recovering lost moments

One of the elements that are never missing at Christmas in my house are the hallacas, for those who are from other countries, a hallaca is something similar to a tamale that is made with pre-cooked corn dough, meat stew, chicken and seasonings, olives, capers and raisins are also added. There are many variants of this traditional Venezuelan dish, but at home we make them with the ingredients I already mentioned, and well, I forgot to say that the wrapping of the hallacas is made of banana leaves, then they are boiled for about 40 minutes for the dough to harden and compact the ingredients.

But beyond being a Christmas dish, what I really want to bring up is the meaning of the family reunion that is generated around the preparation of the hallacas, I think it is a moment that strengthens the bonds that have always had, there is much joy, smiles, jokes, also a lot of work, but we can all do our bit to make the process as enjoyable as possible.

I missed this important family moment for six years when I was out of my country and I must say that it is one of the family events that I missed the most, I have lived this since I was a child and somehow it became part of the lifestyle I always had, my family has always been very traditionalist and those things remain within one to replicate them with those who come after us, and although I still do not have children this is a tradition that I do not want to let die, so I want to be part of it while I can.

This is not a cooking post, but I wanted to show you part of the ingredients and the process that takes place in the elaboration of the precious hallacas. And well, I also took advantage of the moment to have a few shots of good rum, which is undoubtedly an element that makes the day much more cheerful.

Anyway, the process was faster than usual because the teamwork was very well organized, everyone knew what to do and that made everything flow faster. The truth is that after many years I had the opportunity to participate again in this super important family moment and I couldn't be happier. See you soon!