What your mother said allows me to see a culture that is close and family oriented. Food for me is not just to fill the stomach. It is an experience and it leaves you with a memory. I love the thought of the participation.
I really am thankful that I could learn of an international dish that I was not familiar with. Most people here have no clue about it. I could eat this,close my eyes and imagine being in a warm beautiful land surrounded by good people. I travel through food
Thank you for the encouragement and all the best to you.
And for me it was a great honor to talk to you about the hallaca, because I believe that, like the "Venezuelan pabellón", perhaps even more so, it is our national dish. Not to disparage tamales, but these are made more frequently. The hallaca is so complex that it requires collective work.
On the other hand, I was very pleased to see that you got the P.A.N. brand pre-cooked corn flour, which is Venezuelan. In fact, precooked cornmeal is a Venezuelan invention from the 1950s, created by engineer Luis Caballero Mejías, tired of seeing that his wife had to grind corn daily to make arepas (the arepa is our bread of everyday). Then I think, I'm not sure, he sold the patent to Industrias Polar, which is a Venezuelan company. The fact that P.A.N. is for sale in countries as far away as Canada, it gives an idea of what the migratory process of my people has been.
When I told you about the hallacas of my childhood, we made them with ground corn, not with precooked flour. Then mom understood that it was easier to make them with precooked flour and so she agreed to make them with that flour.
There is also the younger brother of the hallaca, which is the Christmas bun or seasoned bun, of which @franciscana23 recently shared a recipe in the community, in a vegan version.
The original Christmas bun is made with all the remains of the stew and contour of the hallacas, and a generous portion of hot sauce is added. Me in particular, even making them vegan, I make them very spicy, because I like them that way. They are also delicious and can be frozen.
And I agree with you: Food is not just filling the stomach, it is a trip down memory lane, culture, feelings, emotions, it is an act of love and it is an act that connects us with our roots.
A big greeting.
Now you have added more interest to the flour P.A.N. I did not know the history of it originating in Venezuela. Very interesting. There are several items that I cannot get here in Canada but this flour is everywhere. We seem to have a huge Latino community in this City. More then ever before. But until a while back there were only a few here and there.
You have just introduced for the first time the dish pabillon. It reminds me of Cuba. I will have to find the perfect vegan substitute. For me a plate of rice and beans is divine. Adding an extra item is even better.
Cheers and thanks!