Hallaca

Last week something came in the mail that I've been looking forward too. So excited I was that I even took a photo of the package.

Opened it up to reveal a hot/cold carry package.

Inside, a smaller, foil-packaged goodies.

In it, 2 banana-leaf wrapped food.

I haven't met banana-leaf wrapped food that I didn't like. For one thing, the smell of banana leaf is so good. Another, food cooked in banana leaf taste super good.

And this one, in particular, I have never had before. They are called Hallaca, which is a classic Venezuelan dish.

According to Wikipedia: "In Venezuelan cuisine, an hallaca (alt. spelling, "hayaca") typically involves a mixture of beef, pork, chicken, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize (cornmeal dough), bound with string within plantain leaves, and boiled or steamed afterwards. It is typically served during the Christmas holiday."

These Hallacas that came to me in the mail, is sent to me by my HCB/FFWD/"adoptive sister" (if you can call someone you've never met/spoken to a sister, that is) Monica!!!

They don't look big, but it is actually. Bigger than my hand in fact :).

I brought one to the office for lunch and saved the other for the weekend, so I could take a photo of the insides. It was very hard to refrain myself from eating it before the weekend.

But I did, mostly because I want to share this experience and the photo with you all. You can see the beef and a piece of the dried plum/apricot in there.

They were gone in mere minutes.

THANK YOU Monica for sending me such awesome goodies. It was my 1st Venezuelan dish and I LOVE every bite of it!