WATCH: How to Make a Curanto (Surf N Turf Baked in the Earth!)

On my recent trip to Chile, I was lucky enough to be invited to a Curanto. A Curanto, as you will see from the video below, is a massive meal of seafood and meats, baked on stones under fern leaves in a hole in the earth. And this wasn’t just any Curanto, it happened to be at the house of Maria Luisa, who actually inspired a character in Isabel Allende’s El Cuaderno de Maya (Maya’s Notebook). Allende visited her in 2009 Yes, she’s real, and once I met her it was easy to see why Isabel Allende would want to portray her in her writing.

Join us as we watch Maria Luisa and her family prepare a Curanto for us!

Now for the good news: If you want to visit Maria Luisa and do this as well, you can! On your next visit to Chiloé (go with Birds Chile if you are looking for a great tour company), contact Maria Luisa via email to let her know you are interested. The cost is $20 per person and a of minimum six people is necessary. If you are less than six people, you may be able to join others to make it possible, so just send her an email to see what she already has going. You can reach her at: agroturismosanantonio@gmail.com or +56 996 437 046. She does not speak English, but don’t let this stop you! She will help you arrange transport as well, or you can take a taxi from the town of Ancud, where everyone knows who she is. Just ask for la casa de Maria Luisa.