Christmas Archives: This Christmas, hallacas could taste different
In December 2012, the average price for a kilo of meat was around Bs. 30. This Christmas, you can buy 1kg. of meat for Bs. 200.000 if you're lucky enough to find and afford it. In this November 7, 2012 post, Gustavo Hernández reminds us that scarce hallaca ingredients were already a thing back then.
Originally published on November 7, 2012.
Christmas time is near. Gaitas are already ubiquitous on the radio, and people are putting up decorations in their homes, particularly ones that consume precious resources. Of course, families will also prepare the traditional dish of the season: Hallacas.
Turns out La multisápida —our precious traditional Christmas dish containing salty, sweet and sour ingredients— is not infaltable anymore. In fact, the crazily high prices and absurd levels of scarcity of the ingredients needed to make them might be changing the multi-flavored tradition into a simply bitter memory for most.
This year, there’s a slight possibility that the recipe to make them will have some forced changes.
Many Christmas-related products are either waiting in containers at Puerto Cabello or finding alternate routes to get into the country, which will influence the final retail price.
The good news is that there are already plenty of fireworks. More than 457 tons of them.
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