What is "hallaca"

In Venezuelan cuisine, an hallaca (, ; alt. spelling, hayaca) is a version of the corn tamal stuffed with a stew of beef, pork, and chicken, fish or other seafoods in some places, and it is "adorned" with raisins, capers, olives and wedges of fowl meat. Like some Mexican tamales it is folded in plantain leaves, tied with strings, and boiled. It is typically served in Christmas season and has several regional variants in Venezuela. There are versions of this dish throughout the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic, known as tamal or guanimos it is made with cornflour stuffed with ground meat; in Trinidad and Tobago, it is known as pastels, as in Puerto Rico, known as "pastel" and made with a green plantain or boniato dough. A characteristic of the hallaca is the delicate corn dough made with consommé or broth and pork fat ( manteca) colored with annatto or "onto". Ayaca are also commonly consumed in eastern Cuba.