Curanto: Conventional Seafood Dish from Chile

Chile becoming geographically so extended country of South America comprises of variety of landscapes and thus it makes Chile a land of vast variety of foods and drinks. In the Chilean cuisine the seafood has a special significance simply because of its diversified coastline of two,647 miles. The special species of fish and shellfish such as the Chilean sea bass, loco and picoroco discovered in the waters of Chilean seaside are unique ingredient to Chilean cuisine.

Curatno, Image © danaj_m (flickr)

A single of the most common and standard food of Southern Chile is Curanto. Curanto is a word in the araucano language and it means hot rock. It is a classic type of a pit oven in which shellfish and other foods are cooked. This is the most characteristic and the most ancient dish of Chile. In reality, if we call it as a single of the oldest food dishes of the globe, it may possibly not be incorrect.  The archeologists found the remains of a 6,000 year old curanto from the archaeological website of Puente Quilo on the north coast, west of the city of Ancud. A lot of other meal remains like bones of nutria, sea lions, sea birds, fish and whale, as properly as hooves of the southern pudú and shells of scallops, snails, Chilean abalone, surf clams, mussels, difficult shell clams, and razor clams have been also discovered.

The Chileans are nonetheless carrying on their traditional way of cooking Curanto. The oven is about a meter deep hole, which is dug in the ground. The bottom is covered with stones, heated in a bonfire till red. The components of Curanto contain shellfish, any kind of meat, potatoes, milcaos (a specific potato bread), chapaleles, and vegetables and also some other fish. With no any distinct quantity every 1 of this ingredient is covered with nalca leaves and other seasonal herbs. Cloths and dirt is place on best and only a sort of side chimney is left open to make combustion less difficult. The food requires approximately a single hour to get prepared.

In the central parts of Chile, Curanto is also cooked in Pulmay which is a large stew pot which is heated over a bonfire or grill or in a stress cooker.