Curanto is the most representative dish of Chilote cuisine: a combination of seafood, meats, potatoes and dumplings traditionally cooked underground, over stones heated red-hot, covered with nalca or pangue leaves.
How it's made
The traditional version ("curanto en hoyo", or pit curanto) is dug straight into the ground: stones are heated with firewood, placed at the bottom of the pit, and then layered with shellfish (clams, mussels, razor clams), pork and chicken, sausages, potatoes and two typical dumplings -milcao and chapalele- all covered with large leaves that trap the steam needed to cook everything together for about an hour.
Where to try it
In Castro, Ancud and several smaller towns across Chiloé you'll find restaurants serving curanto daily, though the "pit" version -the more ceremonial one- is usually reserved for folk festivals or booked in advance through organized tourism experiences. The "al palo" or pot version, more common in restaurants, uses the same set of ingredients but cooked in a large pot instead of underground.
