Curanto

Curanto is a traditional food of Chiloé Archipelago that has spread to the southern areas of Chile and Argentina. The dish consists of seafood, meat, potatoes and vegetables and is traditionally prepared in a hole, about a meter and a half (approx. one and a half yards) deep, which is dug in the ground. The bottom is covered with stones, heated in a bonfire until red.

Curanto sometimes also includes specific types of fish. The varieties of shellfish vary but almejas (clams), cholgas (ribbed mussels) and picorocos (giant barnacles) are essential. The quantities are not fixed; the idea is that there should be a little of everything. Each layer of ingredients is covered with nalca (Chilean rhubarb) leaves, or in their absence, with fig leaves or white cabbage leaves. All this is covered with wet sacks, and then with dirt and grass chunks, creating the effect of a giant pressure cooker in which the food cooks for approximately one hour.

Curanto can also be prepared in a large stew pot that is heated over a bonfire or grill or in a pressure cooker. This stewed curanto is called "curanto en olla" or "pulmay" in the central region of Chile.

Curanto is more of a preparation style than a strict recipe, and the ingredients vary from century to century, pit to pit. These days, it's typically a miscellany of shellfish, smoked meat, chicken, longaniza (sausage), and potatoes.