Venezuela's working-class communities get together to eat Christmas 'hallacas'

Children eat "Hallacas", a local traditional Christmas dish, during a Christmas activity organised by the NGO "Mi Convive" and the foundation "People who need love" in the neighbourhood of "El Cementerio", in Caracas, Venezuela, December 21, 2022. REUTERS/Gaby Oraa

CARACAS (Reuters) - Residents in working-class neighborhoods of Venezuela's capital city of Caracas are coming together to break bread over "hallacas," a dish commonly served around Christmas, as part of an initiative to unite communities depleted by migration.

Hallacas, a type of tamale filled with ingredients such as beef, chicken, olives and capers and wrapped and cooked in banana leaves, are one of Venezuela's most traditional dishes, incorporating indigenous, African and European elements.