A spectacular pit-cooked feast from Chiloé Island layering shellfish, smoked meats, potatoes, milcao dumplings, and chapalele over hot stones, covered with nalca leaves.
Ingredients
2kg mixed shellfish (mussels, clams, barnacles)
1kg smoked beef ribs
6 large Chiloé potatoes
500g grated potato for milcao
300g flour for chapalele
200g rendered beef fat
Nalca leaves or large cabbage leaves
Salt
Hot volcanic stones
Instructions
1Dig a pit, line with volcanic stones, and build a fire on top until stones are white-hot.
2Remove embers. Layer shellfish directly on hot stones.
3Add smoked beef ribs on top of shellfish.
4Place milcao (grated potato cakes) and chapalele (flour-potato dumplings) on next layer.
5Add whole potatoes. Cover everything with nalca leaves, then wet burlap sacks.
6Seal with earth and steam for 1.5-2 hours. Uncover and serve communally.
Did You Know?
Curanto predates the Polynesian hangi and Maori umu — archaeologists date the Chiloé pit-cooking tradition to over 6,000 years ago.