Shellfish, smoked pork and potato dumplings steamed underground over heated rocks — Chiloé's ancient earth oven tradition is unchanged after thousands of years.
About Curanto
The world's oldest surviving pit-oven feast — shellfish (clams, mussels, barnacles), smoked pork, potato dumplings (milcao) and vegetables layered over white-hot stones in a ground pit, covered with giant nalca leaves and sealed with wet sacking; steamed underground for an hour; a ritual of the Chiloé archipelago for thousands of years.
The curanto is one of the world's oldest surviving cooking methods, unchanged for thousands of years on Chile's Chiloé archipelago. A pit is dug in the ground, lined with river stones that have been heated in a fire for several hours. Shellfish go in first — clams, mussels, barnacles, razor clams — then smoked pork, potato dumplings (milcao, made from raw and cooked potato), sausage and vegetables. Giant nalca leaves cover everything, sealed with wet sacking to trap the steam.
“The curanto is one of the world's oldest surviving cooking methods, unchanged for thousands of years on Chile's Chiloé archipelago.”
After 45 minutes to an hour the seal is broken. The shellfish have opened, the milcao has steamed to a dense, slightly gluey consistency and the pork has absorbed both the smoke and the shellfish steam. The broth that forms at the bottom — accumulated liquid from the shellfish and the vegetables — is ladled into cups and drunk separately. There are restaurants in Puerto Montt and Castro that reproduce the curanto above ground in large pots (curanto en olla), which is faster but not the same experience.
What to Expect
The nalca leaves are peeled back and the steam rises in a white cloud over the pit. The shellfish are still hot and open, the milcao dense and steaming, the pork tender. The broth at the bottom is ladled first. Everything tastes of the earth and the sea simultaneously, which is a combination that shouldn't work as well as it does.
Why Try It
Curanto is the most authentic way to eat Chiloé — a technique that predates European contact and remains unchanged because there is no better method for what it does. Experiencing it on the island, rather than a mainland reconstruction, is the complete version.
Insider Tips
- Visit Chiloé during summer (January–March) when curanto is prepared regularly for festivals and markets.
- The nalca leaves (similar to rhubarb leaves) must be fresh — they provide both sealing and flavour.
- Drink the broth from the bottom of the pit. It's the most flavourful element.
