QUEENS — You know Christmas is back in Forest Hills when hallacas are on the menu at TuArepa Pizza Cafe, a Venezuelan restaurant.
Similar to Puerto Rican pasteles and Mexican tamales, hallacas are made of corn dough folded around a mixture of pork and chicken stew mixed with onions, peppers, olives and raisins and wrapped in a banana leaf.
“Christmas season has arrived,” said Ysabel Chang, one of the restaurant owners. “And for all Venezuelan, it means hallacas.”
The treats, which will remain on the menu only till the end of December, are traditionally given as presents.
“You give 10 Hallacas to a family and you get theirs in return as present as well — a great Venezuelan tradition,” Chang said.
The restaurant, at 100-22 67th Ave., makes dozens or even hundreds of them at a time, as they are “a labor intensive dish that could take up to 3 days to prepare,” according to Chang.
Traditionally, the production involves numerous family members who turn their house into “a mini Hallaca factory line,” she said.
Hallacas cost $8.75 each. Those who want to order more than 10 should call in advance.
Other holiday treats on the menu at TuArepa include pan de jamon, a loaf of bread stuffed with ham, bacon, olives and raisins ($30) and dulce de lechoza, a dessert made of papaya cooked in a sweet syrup flavored with cinnamon, cloves and vanilla ($5 for a small container).
